


Hearts turn to dirt (Along with the rest of your body)

by ironhoshi



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Jedi Apprentice Series - Jude Watson & Dave Wolverton, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: ALL PANIC NO DISCO, AU so hard, Aggresive Parenting, Anger, Battle of Galidraan will be changed, Blood and Violence, But it looks more like I'm gonna wreck-it, Darth Maul Needs a Hug, Darth Maul needs a nap, Down with the Sith, Galaxy wide custody battle coming soon, Hate, I am reshaping things, I said I'd fix it, I wrote part of this drunk and the story did what it wanted, Jango is an Angry Space Dad, Mandalorian Culture, Maul is Murder Brother, Maul misses Ezra Bridger, Maul needs revenge, Murder Family, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Obi-Wan Kenobi and his visions are gonna wreck the galaxy, Obi-Wan is smol trauma baby, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, People Will Die, So full of hate and rage and anger, There is another Path to walk, Things have seriously gone wrong, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Time Travel Fix-It, Tired Space Dad just keeps accidentally adopting more murder children, We are all just trying to figure out what is going on, We broke the galaxy, Young Obi-Wan Kenobi, i don't know what I am doing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:54:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26035255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ironhoshi/pseuds/ironhoshi
Summary: A plan was coming together.Step One: steal Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Order and make him his Apprentice.Step Two: undecided.He could figure out step two later when they were not in the Jedi Temple.Maul spun around quickly, swooping down to pretty much just snag Kenobi. He lifted the boy like he was a sack of tubers and threw him over his shoulder. The move had really only worked because the young boy was clearly losing his cool. How unlike Kenobi. He could feel the anger radiating from the youngling. Good, that was good.
Relationships: Feral & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jango Fett & Obi-Wan Kenobi & Darth Maul, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Darth Maul
Comments: 692
Kudos: 1400
Collections: Anything But Qui-Gon, Jedi Journals, Star Wars Alternate Universes





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is 100% the result of this post made on [tumblr.](https://manyangledone.tumblr.com/post/626712664007131136/theres-a-lot-of-fics-involving-time-travel-where)
> 
> Writing this was an extreme change of pace and I regret nothing.  
> So I hope you all enjoy this darker fic.

Revenge, there would finally be revenge after so many betrayals. A reckoning was coming for all those who had wronged him. That eased the hate that boiled inside his heart like lava, allowing him to just realize how exhausted he finally was. Maul was just too tired to be afraid of dying in Obi-Wan's arms, and perhaps he was a little relieved. He no longer had to deal with the anger, with the need to destroy. He could finally rest. Oh, he'd miss his young apprentice, Ezra Bridger, but he knew the boy would go on to be a chaotic force of light. 

Pure and full of brilliant potential, everything Maul was not.

Oh, how he would miss Ezra Bridger, just like he would begrudgingly miss Obi-Wan Kenobi. At least he was dying in Kenobi’s arms so the man was stuck with this memory forever. One last reminder, haunting and unwanted, of what they were to each other. 

Maul was the violent storm and Kenobi was the stubborn tree that stood against him.

The tree had finally beaten the storm.

He let his golden eyes close as he felt a sort of bubble of comfort surrounding him. A buffer between him and the cold that was seeping into what remained of his body. This was a new type of cold, not the twisted cold that lanced through a soul and corrupted, but the type of cold that promised an eternal sleep. Kenobi was doing him one last unneeded kindness. He could die in...peace and warmth. The Sith would eventually fall, even if he wasn't there to see that majestic event. Maybe Ezra and Obi-Wan would see it? He had one last thought that if anyone deserved to see the fall of the Sith it was those two. Death embraced him like the long lost child he had once been and Maul let himself fall deep into the nothingness. Gone were the thoughts of Obi-Wan and of Ezra. No more did the vines of darkness pull at his mind until he wanted to yell. Maul was finally one with everything and nothing at once. The twin suns and the beacon he had chased after for so long were the only witnesses to the true end of his long and complicated life.

Except, what was finally cold and void was suddenly loud and wet. Wait, death wasn't supposed to be wet, was it? 

Pinpricks of feeling danced across his arms and his fingers spasmed as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. He had been dead. He knew he had finally been dead. The Force, something that had never truly been his ally before, seemed to whisper in his ears. Change, time to change. Maul cracked his eyes open and had a moment of thinking his mind had splintered yet again. It took a moment for him to realize he was in some sort of greenhouse. He could hear waterfalls and smell fragrant plants. _How sickening._ Karabast, the Force was so damn warm. What had Kenobi done to him? This was clearly that man’s doing. A sound to his side had him turning his head just a bit and he had the strangest thought that this was some twisted vision to mock him. The face was far younger, the person far shorter, but he recognized that Force signature. Oh, this was cruel.  


Couldn’t he just die in peace?

"Kenobi," he croaked out and winced at how rattly his lungs sounded. The young Kenobi rushed to his side, and Maul couldn't quite pinpoint what age the boy was. Thirteen? Fourteen? Why was he so baby faced? This situation was very wrong. 

"Are you okay? You just...washed up?" Obi-Wan frowned as he glanced at the body of water as he tried to figure out how a random person could just appear in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. "I need to notify the Council-" He started to reach for his comm when he felt a strong hand around his wrist. He blinked as he glanced back at the stranger.

"No, Kenobi," Maul said with a tight grimace. "We need to run. This changes everything." Here was a young Obi-Wan Kenobi ripe for the taking. Everything in Maul’s life had ended up swirling around the older version of this whelp. Now the Force had gifted him with a chance to change how the damn story played out. His mind was already jumping to all sorts of conclusions, but one main one kept blaring loudly in his mind. Here was his new Apprentice, here was his chance at changing everything. He scrambled up from the ground, legs whirring faintly as sand poured from the joints. His grip on Obi-Wan’s arm tightened as he glanced around the far too peaceful room. Where was the way out?

“Ow,” the young Kenobi protested as he tried to yank his arm free. He planted his feet against the ground and leaned back as he tugged hard at his arm. Maul merely gave a shake of his own arm to stop that nonsense. He was fixated on how to steal the young boy that clearly was missing a Padawan braid. Unclaimed. They were most likely in the Jedi Temple, and Kenobi was not yet claimed. He felt a ripple in the Force and then there was a moment where he saw double. His mind was overlaying what could be onto what was. The room was ablaze with branches falling amongst the embers to litter the ground with the discarded bodies of clones and Jedi. They were all like broken toys. Discarded. A beautiful sight. No, no, it wasn't. He was trying to stop all of those events from playing out! If he started interfering now, then the damn Sith would have problems rising into power secretly. 

No one would be used and discarded, and his once Master could drown in his own bile by the time Maul was done. 

_Revenge._

A plan was coming together. 

Step One: steal Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Order and make him his Apprentice. 

Step Two: undecided.

He could figure out step two later when they were not in the Jedi Temple.

Maul spun around quickly, swooping down to pretty much just snag Kenobi. He lifted the boy like he was a sack of tubers and threw him over his shoulder. The move had really only worked because the young boy was clearly losing his cool. How unlike Kenobi. He could feel the anger radiating from the youngling. Good, that was good.

"Hey!" 

Protests fell on deaf ears as he felt a few good punches hit his back. The boy could protest, Ezra had, but it was useless. Kenobi would be his Apprentice. He spotted the communicator appear finally out of the corner of his eyes and merely called on his powers to crush the thing until only a mangled sparking object remained. "Oh, do shut up for the moment. I can't hear myself think," he jostled the boy on his shoulder and had to dodge a flailing leg. It was probably an attempted kick, but it was so poorly executed. Maul couldn't help thinking that it was probably a blessing that the young idiot didn't seem to have a lightsaber. 

A new sound and presence grew behind him, and a slow grin danced across his lips. He had almost missed the approach thanks to the squirming boy on his shoulder. 

"Oh, good." He summoned his lightsaber to his hand and ignited one end of it with a flourish. He could hear a blade being ignited behind him in response, and he spun quickly as Kenobi yelled. Red slammed into green as the tall Jedi who had stumbled upon them attacked. Fighting with one hand, while also being weighed down, might have hindered some people, but Maul was running on pure spite and determination at this point. He had to stop the rise of the Sith, and there was no way he was going to ask for the aid of the blind Jedi Order. They hadn't seen the signs, hadn't even paused to think while they walked straight into the jaws of their demise. He pitied them. He hated them.

They deserved everything they got, and they deserved nothing.

Why hadn't they sensed his torment? 

Why hadn't they saved him? 

The Jedi was attacking with a sort of calm fervour. Maul could appreciate that, but that didn't stop him as he spun so Kenobi was in danger of getting struck by the next blow. A gamble. There was no way this fool would harm an innocent boy. Kenobi, for his part, seemed to realize the gravity of the situation and tensed up so as not to unbalance his kidnapper. Wrong move to the side and serious injuries would be inflicted. 

"No," the Jedi pulled back his strike hard, just as he had predicted, and he moved in to invade the space before the other could recover. Jedi, so predictable when they weren't the ones he begrudgingly respected. Maul slammed his forehead into the other's nose and heard the anguished cry that erupted from Kenobi as pain bled into the air. Something gave in the other man's face, and hot liquid splattered across his horns. Maul brought a leg up and kicked hard, sending the now bleeding man backward a few paces as a sort of insult to serious injury. He sneered as he lunged forward to cross lightsabers again. The cracking that filled his ears was angry and impatient. He shifted his stance, leaning into the blades as an act of dominance. He was stronger, he had more reason to win. The Jedi was weak and starting to give ground. 

He alone knew what was coming, what they had failed to notice.

"Why," he voiced his thoughts aloud. "Why didn't any of you notice?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," came the tight reply as their blades clashed together again. He realized he was limited in his normal fighting style thanks to his Apprentice, but there were always ways to adapt. Maul growled deep in his throat as he spun his hilt in his hand, a mockery of the move he had seen the whole damn lineage of Kenobi's use. Skywalker. Lady Tano. 

Dead. 

Deceased.

Oh, how the Jedi had failed. 

He would never get to exchange insults with those fools again and that only angered him more.

"You are all so _blind,_ " he practically roared as an accusation. "I will change everything, but you-" He slashed down hard and grinned as the Jedi faltered in his steps. How weak. Where was the precious Light Side’s aid now? "You won't see." Dirt and blades of grass puffed out around their feet as they moved in battle. What was once a peaceful room was now tainted with agony and hate. 

Good. This place could rot!

He brought the blade up from the bottom, and as the Jedi brought down his own to meet it Maul ignited his second blade. He let it score across the ground, leaving a trail of ash and death before he used that momentary distraction to kick the Jedi hard in the knee. The sound of bone cracking seemed to echo as the man stumbled. That was all he needed. Kenobi was screaming, the Force was yelling, and Maul? Maul was _living._ He swung the doubledge lightsaber in a very unnecessary arc simply because he felt like it and slashed down hard. Blade bit into shoulder as the smell of heated flesh seemed to explode outward. The Jedi's eyes widened in surprise as Maul looked down on him with almost pity.

"See, my new Apprentice? They cannot protect you. I can. I _can._ "

Kenobi screamed.

The Jedi fell backward and lay there stunned. Maul could feel the Force signature fading and debated just ending the suffering now. That would be a kindness. No, he decided he was going to let them feel the cold vines of death latching onto their mind as he simply walked out of the room with his prize. Maul already knew he would strike down any who tried to stop him. He would leave a wake of bodies like a calling card to the Order. Maybe then they'd finally notice the Sith were rising, maybe then they'd stop being so blind. 

It didn't matter. He was going to protect Kenobi, and he was going to destroy a rising Empire. 

"I am Maul after all," he said out loud as he stepped over the body of the Jedi. "Time to live how I want. I would kill for a good cup of caf." He threw back his head as he gave a bark of laughter and let the fact Kenobi didn't laugh slide this time. The boy would learn to appreciate this life just like Maul did.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Move over," he barked at the surprised droid that was piloting the speeder he landed on. The thing screamed an insult at him. Maul dropped Kenobi into the seat in the back before just putting one end of his lightsaber through the droid. The hot husk of circuitry was kicked over the side before he settled into the pilot's seat. Now to get them far from the Temple and hopefully off this vile planet. He could feel the thrumming of the buried magicks in his blood. What fools, what blind fools! Their beacon of Hope and Light sat on top of the not truly dead remains of an altar to Darkness. The Jedi had built their home on the throne of the Sith. 
> 
> Maul knew they had to flee Coruscant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for waiting for another chapter.  
> I tend to get caught up in my Jangobi and it distracts me. I am learning balance still lol So, uh, basically thanks for putting up with me when it comes to writing Maul?

In hindsight using a giant decorative window as their means of egress was not the wisest idea. Maul had thought it brilliant at the time, but the fact various parts of his body were now smarting let him know that it was far from brilliant. Kenobi had grown silent at some point during their rather violent escape, but the boy most likely had a few souvenirs on his flesh from said window. The absence of yelling right next to his ear was both welcome and unnerving. Wind seemed to roar past his ears while he tightened his grip on the stolen boy. The soles of his boots collided against a speeder with an impact that jolted through him. Small shards of the window bounced around his feet like tiny frozen stars before falling away. He was going to need to find a spanner to tighten up some of the bolts on his legs after this. 

He hoped the Temple was burning.

No, he hoped they were panicking. 

They needed to live to hunt down the Sith. 

Ezra still needed the chance to have a Master in the future. Past? Time was a mess in his head. Screaming, clawing, trying to overlap his thoughts. Maul shoved the chaos down as he tried to focus on his real anger. _The Sith._ Hopefully, Sidious was growing angry over the knowledge that someone else dared to so openly strike against the Jedi. All that careful plotting and planning was unraveling under his feet like a spiderweb and Maul wanted to feel that rage. If only there was a way to take the shadows the Sith liked to plan in and shove them so far down his throat he choked.

"Move over," he barked at the surprised droid that was piloting the speeder he landed on. The thing screamed an insult at him. Maul dropped Kenobi into the seat in the back before just putting one end of his lightsaber through the droid. The hot husk of circuitry was kicked over the side before he settled into the pilot's seat. Now to get them far from the Temple and hopefully off this vile planet. He could feel the thrumming of the buried magicks in his blood. What fools, what blind fools! Their beacon of Hope and Light sat on top of the not truly dead remains of an altar to Darkness. The Jedi had built their home on the throne of the Sith. 

Maul knew they had to flee Coruscant. 

His piloting was erratic as panic started to eat at his mind. The Jedi were going to hunt him. He had to make sure they did not follow and that they did not take back Kenobi. No, he had to keep the boy safe. Nothing was going to play out how he remembered because he had the key piece passed out in the backseat of the speeder. He didn’t have time to care about the fact he had probably messed up other events by so crudely changing one single moment. The shatter points had to be massive now. What good had Kenobi done as he grew up? Where had he gone? Maul tightened his fingers on the controls as he snarled. They were not about to go chase down where he thought the idiot had gone. 

The galaxy would survive without Kenobi meddling. 

He cast his senses out to see if any of the Jedi were following yet, but they were either cloaking themselves or still dealing with the mess he had made during his escape. A lightsaber could inflict so much pain and agony when wielded correctly. His bloodlust had only grown as he had crossed blades with more than one peacekeeper in that Temple. He wanted to bring more of them to their knees. Hypocrites. They enforced peace where they could and hid amongst what they had created. Where were those peacekeepers on the Outer Rim planets that really needed them? 

Where had they been when he was tormented and filled with a coldness he could never rid himself of? 

Shackled by their code and puppeteered from the shadows.

Hah! _Peacekeepers._ The Jedi had taken up the mantle of war thanks to his once Master and a corrupt Senate. Those fools, including Kenobi, had lost before they had even stepped foot on the first battlefield. The perfect trap, but that wasn’t going to happen now. He wasn’t sure if his hatred for the Order still roared like a fire inside of him, not when he knew they had been manipulated just as soundly as he had been, but he did know he still hated every single one of them. Not one of them saw through his pain and stretched a freeing hand towards him. He glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping youngling and frowned. He’d train him to be a warrior of neither one path nor the other. He’d give Obi-Wan the tools to survive in whatever future they were creating. Kenobi would merely know the Force and walk straight down the middle by the time he was done training him. That was, of course, if the tiny Force user didn't assassinate him in his sleep.

Ah, perhaps- He punched in a code on the communicator of the speeder and grinned as it started to connect. “Who is this,” the gravelly voice of a bounty hunter he had worked once or twice with before filled the space in front of him. 

“An acquaintance. I need passage and I can pay.” This would be faster face to face. He jerked the speeder down hard so they dropped through several levels. 

“And why should I help you?”

“Because, Bane, I know the location of quite a few treasures you’d like to get your filthy hands on.” He hated negotiating. Things went so much faster when he could just threaten to slice someone down the middle. People tended to like to keep their life, but this bounty hunter wouldn’t even scare that easily face to face. The silence he was receiving was both a blessing and a curse. Cad Bane was thinking the offer over. 

“Go to Dock Seven. An associate is there, I’ll have him wait for you before he and his...crew take off. If you are playing me there will be nowhere you can hide, but I’m wagering you might actually be good for this.” 

Maul disconnected the call and found himself frowning. There was another Padawan that would be out there eventually, one that he had killed the first time around, but maybe this time he could save her as well. She had been worthy, fought by his side, and still had accepted the fate he had condemned her to on that planet. All these years later he couldn’t help thinking that Eldra’s tears as she died were for him and not for herself. Damn Jedi. He glanced over his shoulder again at Kenobi and couldn’t help thinking she would be a huge help in training the boy. 

No. One thing at a time! He was still on step one of his very not thought out plan after all. It really was a shame he didn’t have his connections in this time. The Black Sun or even the Mandalorians would have been a big help in keeping him and his Apprentice hidden away until the time was right. That was something else he was going to have to deal with- that and his Mother. Now, though, he needed to just focus on getting to Dock Seven and seeing just who Cad Bane expected him to meet. 

It turned out the person they were meeting was one he so badly wanted to impale. Hondo Ohnaka never shut up. Maul sent a silent curse towards Cad Bane as he carefully picked Obi-Wan up out of the speeder. He cradled him against his chest, an arm grasping his shoulders while the other was under his knees, before steeling himself against meeting Hondo in this time.

"Hello, friends," Hondo cried jovially. "Our mutual acquaintance says you need passage and you are in luck, I have passage. I can tell this is going to be a great trip- oh!" The pirate had finally seemed to take in the sight of the sleeping Kenobi. He winced before only lowering his voice a mere fraction. "Come, come, let's get your child on board, and then we can discuss where we are going."

Maul glanced down at the almost peaceful face of his Apprentice and had the faint moment of wondering if the kid was actually dead. That certainly would have been an abrupt ending to his attempt to protect the Jedi. The slight rise and fall of the boy's chest proved to him that he was still alive so he could only be impressed. Kenobi could sleep through Hondo. 

"Hurry it up," he bit out while jerking his chin towards the ship. Hondo got the message and motioned to a few of the crew to hurry up with loading supplies on the ship. 

"Don't worry, we are taking off soon. I'll have someone take care of the speeder for you-" 

"Just destroy it." 

Hondo paused for a moment before just shaking his head. "Of course, whatever you want, friend." He actually had the audacity to slap Maul on the back and the once Sith found himself unsure how to react. There was a time he would have just cut the pirate down, but Kenobi was probably already overwhelmed by the fact the Force was dripping with the feeling of death at the moment. He didn't want to actually make the boy sleep longer or drop him so he could grab his lightsaber. In the end, Maul settled on just growling in the back of his throat as a warning. Hondo merely laughed before escorting the pair onto the ship. His footsteps faltered slightly as he realized the overly chatty pirate had called Kenobi his child. Yes, yes he liked the sound of that. Family. He had once had a family before his world burned around him, and now he would craft a new family with the one person who had helped take everything from him. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi being his family was the ultimate revenge against both the Sith and the Jedi. Finally, he was going to make the man he hated feel the pain he felt. He’d help the boy embrace emotions. 

By the time he was done, yes, Kenobi would be magnificent.

There was no going back now. 

“He is my...brother,” he bit out before pushing past Hondo. The Weequay made a sound of surprise at being so rudely shoved aside but made no remark regarding the claim of being actual family. Smart pirate for once. “Harm him and you harm me. I will cut you down and feed you to your crew.”

“No need for that, friend. Trust me. You are both safe here. I won’t even ask questions- clearly you, uh, feel for your brother. Is he sick? We have a room, real nice, that is empty. Yours. All yours. Get your brother situated and then you and me, we can play some sabacc while we talk.” 

The room was small, but it was hardly the worst place he had ever slept. It would do, yes, it would do. 

He made sure the young almost Jedi was tucked in under a pile of blankets in their bed as he frowned. His hand paused in the air just above the other’s forehead before he finally reached down to push some hair away. He was so small, so innocent. How did this child grow up to be the man he had obsessed over? His fingers trembled as the idea of just ending the misery before it began danced across his mind. It would be so easy. Just a quick slam of a saber and the life would vanish- “No,” he breathed out. “You aren’t going to burn. We aren’t going to burn. Not this time.” With a groan he sat down on the edge of the bed, keeping a hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder as he did, and glared at the doorway. The ship was rumbling under his feet and it did little to ease the tension in his shoulders. They were taking off, escaping, but he would not fully relax until they were far from this wretched planet. 

Talking to Hondo was not something he was looking forward to, not when he just wanted to sleep. He could recall how it felt to finally be at rest, to finally be dead, but the Force had thrown him back to his new brother, his Apprentice. Where were Savage and Feral now? How old were they? He didn’t even know what year he had been so cruelly dumped in. 

There was so much to think about. So much to figure out-

“I was powerful, Kenobi,” he told the sleeping boy. “I had _everything._ And you- you took everything from me. I should kill you now. Make you suffer and...yet-” He ran his gloved fingers through the boy’s hair almost affectionately. “You and me. We were both left behind. We both lost everything. We were both tools, manipulated. Oh, how sweet the irony is. You were supposed to be all that was good and I am going to turn you into neither good nor evil, my boy. We have all the time in the galaxy now. Oh, General Kenobi, the great sword of the Jedi, how we are changing your destiny.”

He brushed the back of his knuckles down the side of Obi-Wan’s cheek before finally standing up to go deal with Hondo. The planet they were headed to didn’t matter much at this point, but it would be better if it was one not touched by the long shadow of the Republic. Easier to hide, easier to help his new brother become reborn.

“Sleep well, little Kenobi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (*ﾟ∀ﾟ*) Hope you liked it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hondo slapped him hard on the back and Obi-Wan had to stop himself from falling off the bed. He settled on shooting a glare at the pirate and was rewarded with more laughter. “Oh, oh, I see the relation now! This is marvelous. As my mother always said it is better to have the full set, good for business. Your adorable face is going to help me win so many games of sabacc,” the pirate exclaimed as he stood up. “Now to just get that stabby one to agree. With you two, yes, yes, we can pull so many jobs.” 
> 
> What in the Force was going on? 
> 
> He was saved from politely telling Hondo he wasn’t looking to become a pirate when a blast of heat seemed to flood the room. The man he had happened upon in the Room of a Thousand Fountains was standing in the doorway with an unamused glare etched into his features. 
> 
> “Hondo,” the Zabrak growled out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now some good old Obi-Wan time~!

The galaxy was burning. 

Smoldering behind his closed eyelids with an intensity that seared the mind.

Colors were flashing erratically before erupting.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes and wished he hadn’t.

No matter where he turned, snow kicking up around him, he saw more and more _red_. People were yelling. The Force was whispering in his mind and he couldn't make out the blasted message. He ducked as a lightsaber blade sailed over his head and he could almost smell the burnt ozone. This wasn't right, this was very not right. The Force began to cry inside his mind.

A blaster bolt nearly got him in the shoulder and Obi-Wan stumbled backward as fear spiked inside his mind. His boots lost traction on the stained snow causing him to flail a moment before falling backward hard. _Oafy-Wan_. It wasn’t cold. Why wasn’t the snow cold as it bit into his flesh? A Jedi rushed forward as if he wasn't even there and swung their saber while their eyes gleamed with madness. Her pale hair glinted in the harsh light of the sun overhead and his throat tightened in horror. She reeked of malice and bloodlust, things he never wanted to know. A vibroblade met their blade above him and he craned his head back slightly to stare at the armored warrior. His eyes widened as the helmet tilted down slightly as if looking at him. The visor was pitch black, rather like the night sky, and he felt a pang of worry. Something awful was about to happen. A jolt went through him as he watched the Jedi twist their wrist and slide their blade past the vibroblade. The lightsaber bit into the space between the chest plate and arm, burying itself. A scream ripped from his lips as he tried to fling an arm upward, only to find his body was disobeying his mind.

The Mandalorian remained standing, defiant. "Galidraan," the modulated voice said in an accusing tone. "A trap." The lightsaber was yanked free before the Jedi kicked the warrior in the gut with brutal force. There was a smile on her face that twisted the beauty into something iniquitous as the armored figure fell. The sound echoed in his ears and he could only seem to stare at the crackling blue blade of the weapon he was supposed to trust as it fell towards his face. 

He was going to die in the snow.

He was never going to be an actual Jedi now.

He stared up at the falling blade as anger started to swell in his chest and the blade was just about to kiss his face when everything went silent. Obi-Wan jolted awake and was greeted with darkness. Cold. He was so cold. Sweat clung to him like a second skin and a pile of blankets was twisted in a sign of how clearly he had been tossing and turning in his sleep. Galidraan- the Force had been trying to tell him something, but he didn't know what. What trap? The Force vision left him feeling drained and hollow. Slowly, as the fitful rest started to ease away from his mind other things started to bubble to the surface. He had been in the Temple and then… He blinked as he glanced around him in mild confusion as he took in the rather eclectic room he woke up in. There were flimsi posters of various dancing tropes, cantinas, and gladiators. His eyes narrowed as he realized he could hear the thrumming of a hyperdrive engine. He was on a ship and he couldn’t quite remember how he had gotten there. 

Master Jinn, he had been looking for the Master to try and plead his case again. 

_The red blades arced through the air without mercy. He could feel the anger and sorrow that hovered around the Zabrak as he hacked down another Jedi Knight. Life forces were dimming. The Temple was becoming marred with hatred and fear._

_He couldn’t stop screaming as the Force yelled in horror._

Another vision? No, he brought a shaky hand to his face so he could press it over his mouth as he stared at his lap. 

A memory, a horrible memory that was broken in his mind. The pieces refused to line up. 

He reached out tentatively for the Force and it slipped away like water. Alone. That coldness inside of him was growing as he realized he was someplace he didn’t know with a Jedi Slayer. Slowly, with great care, he slipped out of the bed. A glance in the broken shard of mirror on the wall had him regretting looking. His face was sallow and his eyes rimmed with red. Sithspit, were those tiny scratches all over his face? Where had those come from? He clenched his teeth as he forced himself away from the mirror so he could search the room for a weapon. 

“Ah, hello little friend,” a voice from the doorway had him nearly jumping in surprise. “Your much older, grumpier brother said you’d be up soon.”

Brother? Obi-Wan tried to keep the look of confusion off his face as he turned to look at the person talking to him. His features schooled into a blank expression in an attempt to hide how lost he was. Only one word seemed to describe what he saw and he wasn’t entirely sure what was going on. Pirate. There was a pirate talking to him like they were acquaintances. 

“Hello,” his voice came out sounding like a question and the pirate merely laughed jovially. What had he meant by brother? 

“Come, come sit down. I brought a medpac,” and true to his word he held up a bag that he shook for emphasis. “Maul is drinking some of my crew under the table and I figured I should look at your injuries. He mentioned falling out a window. He assures me you are fine, but I say it is better to tend to an injury now and get a peg leg later!” 

Obi-Wan was beyond confused at this point and could only seem to sit down hard on the edge of the bed as he stared at the pirate with wide eyes. He had no idea the layout of the space or where they even were, it was best to wait things out a bit before he escaped. That or surely the Jedi Order would be hunting for him, he was after all technically still a member of the Order at the moment. “Who are you?”

“Hondo Ohnaka! And you, my little friend, slept like the dead. Not the real dead, that would have been very bad for business,” Hondo laughed as he unzipped the medpac. Obi-Wan barely opened his mouth to question everything before the pirate was launching into some wild tale about how he had rescued him and Maul. The story was elaborate and seemed to contradict itself as it went on, but he found himself fascinated anyway. That must have been Hondo’s goal because by the time he was finished he was smoothing one last bacta patch across the boy’s cheek. 

His face felt better even if the bacta was now making his eyes water slightly from how pungent it was.

“Uh, I don’t mean to be rude, but you mentioned my...brother?”

Hondo zipped the medpac up as he sighed with what had to be exaggerated gusto. “He has already cheated many of us out of hard-earned credits. May or may not have been through legal means. I tell you- it is hard to win against him, uncanny basta- Oh would you look at that- time to get some food in you and teach you how to play sabacc as well! Make a pirate out of you yet, you are far too polite to stick around your brother long. He has already threatened to kill me in several fascinating ways!” Obi-Wan felt like his head was swimming for a second as he tried to unpack everything he was learning. His kidnapper seemed to be playing them off as family and had somehow employed the help of pirates. To make matters much worse he vaguely remembered his communicator being destroyed.

He was on a ship full of pirates and a murderer. 

Hondo slapped him hard on the back and Obi-Wan had to stop himself from falling off the bed. He settled on shooting a glare at the pirate and was rewarded with more laughter. “Oh, oh, I see the relation now! This is marvelous. As my mother always said it is better to have the full set, good for business. Your adorable face is going to help me win so many games of sabacc,” the pirate exclaimed as he stood up. “Now to just get that stabby one to agree. With you two, yes, yes, we can pull so many jobs.” 

What in the Force was going on? 

He was saved from politely telling Hondo he wasn’t looking to become a pirate when a blast of heat seemed to flood the room. The man he had happened upon in the Room of a Thousand Fountains was standing in the doorway with an unamused glare etched into his features. 

“Hondo,” the Zabrak growled out.

“Peace, my good friend! I merely patched him up. No harm has come to your little brother- well more harm. He had a lot of harm, to begin with. Really, you should look out for him more.”

The annoyance radiating off the Jedi Slayer was stifling and Obi-Wan felt his hands shaking. This was the man who had cut down Jedi Knight after Jedi Knight. The one who had carved angry marks into the walls of the Temple. The one who had kidnapped him! Why was he claiming to be his brother? He opened his mouth to lash out, to tell the truth, but what tumbled out of his mouth seemed to surprise everyone. It was almost as if the Force had ripped the words free of his mouth unbidden. 

“I had a vision. We have to go to Galidraan!”

Maul was across the room in a flash, causing Hondo to dance back a few steps in surprise, and Obi-Wan found himself glaring up at the man. His jaw was gripped hard in the other’s vice like fingers. He tried to wrench free, but the grip tightened until it was actually painful.

“Repeat that,” the words were harsh, but lacking the anger he felt in the air. Something was flickering in those golden eyes, something he didn’t understand.

“Galidraan. We need to go there.”

A slow grin grew on Maul’s face before he shoved Obi-Wan backward like he weighed nothing. The boy slammed into the edge of the bed and let a word no youngling should know as he reached up to rub his jaw. 

“You heard, Ben, pirate. I have a score to settle and this the perfect chance to strike a blow.”

Ben? Obi-Wan shot a puzzled look at the two adults in the room. Who the kriff was Ben?

“It will cost you extra, Maul. I’m not a taxi service, despite how much we get along. I’ll give you the friend’s discount, of course, I’m not a complete scoundrel.”

“You’ll have an Empire by the time this is done,” Maul promised darkly before pointing a finger at Obi-Wan. “And you, you need to eat.” 

“Ah, I was just about to take him to the galley. There should be some of the stew left, help the growing boy get even taller. Come, come, little friend, you can accompany me to the galley, and then I will set about getting us to Galidraan.” 

Obi-Wan wanted to protest, wanted to really just stay in this room, but he knew he needed to learn the layout of the ship. That and his stomach took that moment to let out the sound of a wounded rancor. He saw Maul’s lips actually twitch and Hondo’s eyes widen at the noise. His pale complexion did absolutely nothing to hide his embarrassment as he wrapped an arm around his midsection. 

“Here,” his fake brother snapped before hurling something straight at his head. Obi-Wan reacted instantly, hand coming up to catch the piece of fruit before it could slam into his now healing face. 

“Why,” the word left him unbidden and he could feel those molten eyes boring into him. “After you slaughtered them all-”

“I am quite sure they will be fine if they get dropped into some bacta tanks in time. A few might need new limbs, but it will hardly stop them.” 

“But I saw-”

“But did you _feel_ ,” the words ground out of Maul’s mouth as he moved to tower over the boy. He jabbed a finger against Kenobi’s chest and narrowed his eyes. “I know that pathetic excuse for training you’ve had so far must have taught you how to feel.” Ah, good, there was anger lashing between them now. The boy was like a volatile star, waves of frustration coming off of him. 

“But. Did. You. Feel. Them. Die?”

Silence for a beat and then Kenobi’s shoulders were slumping slightly. Not quite defeat, no, something else. Confusion? Uncertainty perhaps. He could work with this. 

“No, no I did not.”

The Jedi he had struck down would or would not survive. 

He hardly cared. 

He cared too much. 

They needed to be able to start their fanatic search for the darkness in the galaxy. He was going to have to leave them more clues, more signs. Yes, everything needed to lead back to the Sith, but first, he needed to go save some Mandalorians. Maul pursed his lips together as stared down at the enigma clutching a piece of fruit. He couldn’t quite recall Kenobi having Force visions, but he wasn’t going to shove this new weapon aside. Hopefully, with time and training, he could get the boy to give him visions on how to topple the rising tide of the Dark Side.

“Then shut up and eat. Hondo,” Maul rounded on the pirate who was watching them like they were in some awful holovid. “Ben can find his own way to the galley. You and I, _friend_ , have a course to chart.” 

“Whatever you say, friend, whatever you say.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there isn't as much Maul in this chapter, but I needed to set up where this was going next. 
> 
> Thank you for reading <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The violent screams ripped through the room they shared and Maul nearly levitated off the ground from where he had been sitting. His lightsaber clattered to the floor as he whipped his head around to stare at Kenobi. He had been tuning up the blade and now he was glad he hadn’t decided to ignite the blasted thing. He would have lost another limb in his surprise. Kenobi’s lungs were impressive. The boy was thrashing in his sleep, pain and fear cascaded off of him in waves. Oh dear, that was rather unexpected. He had known the dreams or vision were growing more intense, but he hadn’t realized how much of an effect they were having on the boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy some fluff, some violence, and much confusion!  
> I hope you enjoy the chaos that is to come! Also, thank you so much for all the comments of encouragement. I appreciate them all and I love that people are enjoying this darker fic （＾ω＾）

Life was strange, to say the least. Obi-Wan often found himself sitting next to Hondo while the pirate taught him the basics of sabacc. Maul seemed to barely pay him mind except for two hours each day. Those two hours were strangely a mixture of meditation and working on lightsaber forms. Forms that he had to practice with a wooden staff since he was clearly lacking a saber. He didn't understand why Maul was teaching him or why he was even on this ship. Any questions asked were ignored. Maul would vanish after that two hours to their room and Obi-Wan was once again left to his own devices. He got in the way on purpose with the pirates. They all seemed to have little problem teaching him about how the ship worked or how to fly the thing. It was like a game to them, but it was all research for him. If he was going to escape once they got to Galidraan then he wanted to know this ship like the back of his hand. The trick was going to be getting everyone off said ship before he ran.

"Little friend, you seem quieter than normal. You getting sick," Hondo actually sounded mildly worried so Obi-Wan flashed him a smile.

"Merely thinking. Don't play that card." The cry of protest from around the table had him blushing. The crew hated when he helped Hondo and had started demanding he help them as well, taking turns sharing his help as it were. Hondo hummed his thanks before playing a different card that ended up with him winning the hand. 

"Your payment," the pirate held out a wrapped sweet which Obi-Wan took with a soft thanks. The wrapper crinkled loudly in his fingers and his eyes widened faintly at the sight of the sugary dough. He glanced towards Hondo before popping the whole ball of sweetness into his mouth. Everyone around the table laughed behind their cards and he did his best to glare. Someone muttered he was adorable so he glared harder as he chewed, the laughter only grew. 

Pirates were the worst.

He finally slipped away from the game and went on yet another journey of exploring the ship. He wanted to make sure he wasn’t missing any hiding spots or areas to exploit. They were hurtling towards his vision and every time he made the mistake of trying to sleep he witnessed more and more of what was coming. 

He had to focus. 

Obi-Wan gritted his teeth as he ducked down a hallway and knelt down at an air duct access point. He pried the cover off before squirming his way inside. Time to map out more of the ship, time to keep etching out the designs for his freedom. He had hours to work before he needed to be back at the room he shared with Maul. 

Soon his patience would pay off and he would find his chance to escape.

∘

The violent screams ripped through the room they shared and Maul nearly levitated off the ground from where he had been sitting. His lightsaber clattered to the floor as he whipped his head around to stare at Kenobi. He had been tuning up the blade and now he was glad he hadn’t decided to ignite the blasted thing. He would have lost another limb in his surprise. Kenobi’s lungs were impressive. The boy was thrashing in his sleep, pain and fear cascaded off of him in waves. Oh dear, that was rather unexpected. He had known the dreams or vision were growing more intense, but he hadn’t realized how much of an effect they were having on the boy. Did he try to comfort him? If he let the screaming go on too long then Hondo would show up. That unpleasant thought finally had him moving so he could go wake little Kenobi. He caught a flying fist as he sat down on the edge of the bed. Maul paused for a moment as his hands trembled. Comfort, he wasn’t made to comfort in any shape or form, but the pain pouring from his nemesis was heart-wrenching. Whatever was inside Obi-Wan’s head was destroying him. He finally let out a few swear words before he pulled the boy into his arms. A hard shake and Kenobi was startled awake so the screams blissfully stopped. Before he could yank free Maul wrapped his arms around him in an actual hug.

“It’s fine. You are fine. We are fixing everything, but if you ever scream like that again I am going to shove you out the airlock,” he found himself saying. The boy stilled a brief moment before trying to squirm free of the embrace, Maul tightened his arms and rested his chin against the top of Kenobi’s head. “Stop moving. It was just a vision or nightmare.” 

His little brother was like his mother. Seeing more than what was there. 

He should take Kenobi to Dathomir.

He should hide Kenobi away from everyone and everything that would hurt him.

Kenobi was power. How had his old Master ignored this boy? No matter, Obi-Wan would not be some tool for the Republic. Some tool to be cast aside when they ripped the last hope from him and left him to die in solitude. Oh, how everyone had failed the man. They hadn’t known what they were doing. If there was an honest Chosen one it wasn’t that pitiful creature named Skywalker, no, it was the one in his arms. 

They had all been such fools to miss the pure potential.

“Maul,” the raw voice infiltrated his mind and he loosened his grip faintly. “I’m fine. I didn’t-”

“Good,” he bit out as he released the boy abruptly. “Go back to sleep, we will be at Galidraan tomorrow, little Kenobi. We will destroy whatever plagues your dreams and then- then we will grow stronger.” Wide, confused eyes studied him before Obi-Wan frowned. He flicked the other in the forehead with his fingers as he smirked. “Sleep, little one. No harm will come to you tonight.”

He sat on the floor, staring at his lightsaber, long after Kenobi had finally fallen asleep again. Hatred swirled around him as he prepared himself for the battle tomorrow. There would be Jedi to strike down, Jedi who would give so easily into bloodlust. He had heard of the slaughter of Galidraan, he had heard how the peacekeepers had come in with a strike team and decimated innocents all thanks to a single lie. His lips curled slowly, exposing his teeth in a grimace, as he realized what a card he had to play. He knew the story, he knew how it all played out thanks to the Mandalorians he had once ruled. Now he could get them on his side again and they in turn would be his shield against the galaxy while he trained the boy. 

Kenobi was going to stray further and further from the Path. 

Yes, yes, this was good.

The plan was coming to fruition in his mind.

∘

This wasn’t how the plan was supposed to go. He was supposed to be staying on the ship while the pirates did whatever it was they were going to do, but instead, he found himself shivering as frigid wind whipped around them.

“What are you planning,” he yelled to be heard over the roaring sky. Obi-Wan didn’t flinch as yellow eyes glared at him, but he did flinch as Maul moved to grab him. He tried to stumble backward out of reach, but the older Force user was far too fast. He squirmed, he kicked, he punched, but Maul merely slung him over his shoulder again. 

“We jump,” was the only warning he got before he was screaming as the ship was suddenly above them. The man had stepped straight out of the open cargo bay door! He squeezed his eyes shut as his face stung from the cold slamming into his flesh. He felt his whole body spasm as Maul landed in the middle of a snowy expanse. The next shock came as he was thrown to the ground. He found himself with a mouthful of snow and he sat up with a strong feeling of disgruntlement that died down as he realized just what they had jumped into- there were Jedi on one side and Mandalorians on the other. Both groups seemed equally surprised as he felt. 

“Dooku,” Maul growled as he pulled his lightsaber hilt free. 

“I fear you have me at a disadvantage,” the Master replied curtly as he lowered his own ignited blade to his side. “And you are interfering. Stand aside while we deal with this vicious killers, they must be brought to justice in the name of the Republic-”

Maul’s laughter filled the space, interrupting everything, and Obi-Wan shivered not only from the cold but from fear. He sensed something sickly from the gathered Jedi. If he squinted his eyes just right he thought he could see black tendrils trying to coil their way up them. A wrongness in the Force. He pushed himself up off the ground, dusting snow from his not quite warm enough clothing, and cast a pleading look towards Master Dooku.

“Master,” he yelled over Maul’s laugh and found himself shrinking down slightly as his kidnapper fixed him with a look. “Please, you must see something is wrong here. Can you not feel the deception?”

The blonde girl near Dooku, his padawan, seemed to be frothing at the mouth as she shifted her grip on her lightsaber. “He is trying to distract us, Master Dooku, this is some trick. The Mandalorians deserve to die for their crimes.” 

“Peace,” Dooku said with a sternness as his gaze shifted to Obi-Wan. “We will do our job and then return the lost youngling to the Temple.” He knew who he was? Faint hope started to bubble inside of him. He might be able to get home after all!

Then every single lightsaber ignited.

No! 

Obi-Wan could hear the blasters charging behind him, could feel a faint trembling beneath his feet as the group of warriors got ready to go on the offensive. He had to do something, anything, he just didn’t know what. A cry escaped him as the Force slammed into his mind. Red, it was going to snow crimson as the Jedi were directed off the path. They were going to fail, they were going to Fall. Actual red filled his vision when Maul ignited both sides of his lightsaber and held it out in front of him. 

“Your padawan is a fool, just like you become, Dooku. Has he gotten his claws into you yet? Have you been listening to the whispers, to his promise of power? What a puppet you become! What a fool. You’ll fail, all of you, but this time? I will stop you.” What was the Zabrak on about? Obi-Wan hadn’t seen any of that in his visions. “Oh, how you will be tainted by slaughtering innocent Mandalorians. What knowledge did you gather, old man? Did you just jump at the chance to play judge and jury? Is the call for blood so strong?”

“Darjetii,” a modulated voice said from behind Obi-Wan and he turned his head to glance at the person that had spoken. He froze as he recognized that armor. A blade would wound him, the padawan would take unneeded pleasure in the action-

“No,” Maul was saying as he gripped his blade tighter. “Maul. I am no Sith. Not anymore. I want to destroy the Sith. They deserve to all die, but not you. Not like this, not here. The boy saw it in time to get us here, but now- now I think Galidraan calls for blood.” 

The helmet of the Mandalorian tilted towards him and Obi-Wan couldn’t help blinking as words tumbled out of his mouth. “I saw you die. You said it was a trap.” 

“Protect the boy, he need not see what is to come,” Maul bit out as he began to advance on the Jedi. What? No! Obi-Wan started to spin to yell at the man to stop, but he let out a yelp instead as arms circled his waist. He threw an arm outward as he yelled in anger. He knew what was going to happen, he knew from how the Force thrummed with warning. The Jedi were going to die. He had brought ruin to his people. 

“Don’t let the jetii take him. We fail here and Death Watch rises. Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur,” the foreign words left the other’s mouth and all the Mandalorians seemed to react. Obi-Wan kept screaming as the one holding him dragged him back towards what appeared to be a makeshift camp while all the other warriors surged forward. 

“Stop, you have to stop,” he cried as he tried to fight free. “It was a trap! You did nothing wrong, no one has to die! Please!” He heard the engines of the ship and felt dread settle into his stomach as it landed behind the members of his Order. Hondo had decided to worsen the odds. “They are going to die-”

The person holding him loosened their grip just enough so they could kneel down so they were eye to eye. Well, eye to visor really. “They came to slaughter us, we take offense. The jetiise must pay.” Obi-Wan could feel the hot tears streak down his face even as the Mandalorian reached out to gently grab his chin with a gloved hand. “You did well, verd’ika.”

Yelling began behind him. He could hear the blasters going off, the lightsabers arcing through the air. He could hear the desperate cries of the people that were supposed to be his family. The pirates had joined the fight and the Jedi stood very little chance of leaving Galidraan. Obi-Wan felt the first death in the Force like a blade to the mind. Brilliant life forces were being extinguished. Each death battered against his fragile shields causing him to cry in frustration. Jedi and Mandalorian, neither deserved what was happening. Each of their lives was precious! His knees started to give out as he felt a wave of righteous anger buffer around him from Maul. The Mandalorian scooped him up as he desperately tried to block out the feeling of death and wrongness. 

His heart was breaking.

“Please, stop the fighting, no one else needs to die” he pleaded one last time before the darkness seemed to take him again. He was cradled in the arms of a strange warrior and he didn’t even notice as a jetpack roared to life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Mando'a translatations:  
> Darjetii- _Sith_  
>  Jetii/Jetiise- _Jedi/Jedi plural_  
>  Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur - _Today is a good day for someone else to die - Mando saying (because they're not daft...)_  
>  verd'ika - _private (rank) Can be used affectionately, often to a child; *little soldier* - context is critical._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You speak of lies! I am no Sith. They are, but rumors and history at this point-”
> 
> “They are right under your nose and you Fall. How beautiful, how pathetic.” Maul shifted his grip on the blade as he felt a new sense of fury. “Not this time! You won’t hurt him! None of you will.” Each statement was punctuated by a strike of his blade. Master Dooku was meeting each of them and didn’t seem to be faltering even as his brethren fell one by one like discarded toys. The battlefield was dripping in pain and agony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full disclosure. It's a bloody massacre and there is major character death. If you aren't down for straight up murder then turn back now!  
> You've been warned. (Also I upped the rating to Mature thanks to muuuurder.)

Snow was flying around them like a whirlwind, spurned on by the frantic movements of the Jedi. He could taste the rage from some of them as they realized they were inches away from Death’s teeth. Maul snarled as he jammed one side of his blade outwards, catching a fresh faced Knight in the side. He yanked hard to the left and let the sound of agony fill his ears like pure music. 

The Jedi here had to pay. 

They had to suffer. 

Faster, harder, until the ground was stained with the blood of those who had never bothered to save him. 

He felt the horror from little Kenobi, and he felt when the boy lost conscience. Good, that meant he could stop holding back. The Mandalorians would protect the foundling, but he knew he would have to fight to get him back after this was over. That was fine, perfect even; he would prove himself clan to Obi-Wan Kenobi and win the True Mandalorians over. 

It would be easy.

It would be difficult.

He launched himself up in the air with the aid of the Force and spun dramatically, blades slicing in a flurry as he landed behind the soon to be Sith. “Dooku,” he snarled as he let the anger latch onto his mind. “You won’t be taking him back. This planet will be your grave this time.” 

“This time,” the older Jedi said with disdain as he swung his blade to clash with Maul’s. “You speak like I have done this dance before. You are overly familiar with me.” Their blades connected over and over as Maul kept on the offensive, driving Dooku backward towards the pirates. He ignored every blaster bolt that sailed past, every scream of panicked orders, he also ignored the Mandalorians utilizing their skills. Jedi after Jedi fell violently. The battlefield should have been littered with beskar'gam and the fall of an empire, but now it was to be decorated with hypocrites and fools. Oh, there were a few Mandalorians and pirates lost, but their numbers were hardly taking the hits the Jedi were. 

“I know you,” he swept his leg as he spun, corrupted snow flew at Dooku and was followed by crackingly ozone as he followed through his blade. “I know what you become, Sith Lord.” He felt the shock from the old man and grinned. Ah, so he hadn’t been corrupted yet. Well, he wasn’t going to give him the chance. “You destroy everything I hold dear and now? Now, I will destroy you.”

“You speak of lies! I am no Sith. They are, but rumors and history at this point-”

“They are right under your nose and you Fall. How beautiful, how pathetic.” Maul shifted his grip on the blade as he felt a new sense of fury. “Not this time! You won’t hurt him! None of you will.” Each statement was punctuated by a strike of his blade. Master Dooku was meeting each of them and didn’t seem to be faltering even as his brethren fell one by one like discarded toys. The battlefield was dripping in pain and agony. 

“Hurt who?”

“Kenobi. You had your chance, you all did, but now time has run out.” He smiled something feral as he manipulated the Force again to rip a boulder free of the ground. With a flick of his hand he sent it hurtling towards Dooku’s padawan. Ah, predictable. Still such a Jedi, so willing to sacrifice himself like an idiot. The man lunged to protect the girl and Maul took his chance. He could hear the raw rage of the girl as he slammed one red blade right through the chest of the man who had replaced him as an Apprentice. He stared into those eyes as they widened in surprise. A twist of the blade for good measure and then he was yanking it free. The once great Jedi Master sank down to his knees, lightsaber falling free from his hand. Maul snagged it before it could get lost in the snow by catching it with the Force. He pocketed it as he actually felt a pang of remorse for what he had just done. He wasn’t entirely sure what compelled him to do so, but he leaned down so his face was close to Dooku’s and he whispered. “I saved you, old man. You lost your way. Now you go to the Force without the taint of what we both became.” 

And here ended the start of another, darker lineage of Force users. 

He reached out and shoved the man backward. The padawan shrieked like some creature from Dathomir and launched herself at him, lightsaber raised high for the attack. Maul didn’t even blink when he lashed out with his own blade. Red met flesh and the girl stumbled backward as she howled in pain. The stench was awful and perfect. Her hand flew to her eyes as pain lashed about her. Fear, anger, hate. She was enraged and in agony. Such little control, no wonder she failed when she grew older. 

“Now you can be as blind as your ideals. What type of Jedi calls for blood so willingly? Let this be a lesson,” he bit out as he twisted a hand into the front of her robes. He yanked her up off the ground and watched as her feet kicked wildly. “How _pathetic._ Go back to your precious Order, fall at the Council’s mercy. Let them know a Sith did this, let them know how they sit on a throne of lies.”

“You m-monster!” 

Ah, she wasn’t listening. He swore before slamming her down hard on her back into the snow. He knelt over her and pressed his hand to her forehead as he shoved his influence over her. He wasn’t kind or gentle, but ripped into her mind like a crude blade. He sent wave after wave of power until her body spasmed. Blind eyes welled up with tears and then a strangled cry escaped her. The padawan passed out in oblivion instead of facing the torment. A fool, weak. The Order should be ashamed of her because she was no Kenobi.

She’d live.

She’d tell the story.

Maul yanked his hand away and glanced up to see the battle ending around him. The sound of a jetpack was the only warning he got before a Mandalorian landed next to him. “Did you kill her?”

“No, worse. She survives while everyone else has died.” 

“And her face?”

“Ah, she met my lightsaber. I doubt she will see ever again.” 

The Mandalorian stayed silent for a moment before making a motion to the pirates as if asking about them. That was all the invitation Hondo seemed to need. Maul winced as the pirate walked over with a pleased look on his face. “Ah, my friend, you certainly know how to throw a party!” He sighed before he could stop himself. With a faint wince he stood up and rolled his shoulders to ease some of the stiffness that was starting to set in. “And I see you have made us some new friends, yes. Mother always said stay on the good side of the Mandos, bad for business to get hunted!” Hondo seemed to pause as he looked around the battlefield and faint concern actually left him. “And where is little Ben?”

“The verd’ika, if his name is Ben, is safe at our camp,” the Mandalorian offered up. The fact they were already calling Kenobi something like verd’ika was both a blessing and a curse. Did he want to let the boy be influenced by the True Mandalorians or did he want to steal him back?

Kenobi, even at this age, seemed to win people over. 

How annoying.

“Good, good. How lucky they are watching over your little brother,” Hondo nodded sagely as he knelt to start searching the bodies. Maul sneered in disgust at that. He had no reason to rob corpses, but he wasn’t going to stop the pirates, even if he did find the practice disgusting. 

“Quite,” he settled on saying as he glanced at the armored warrior. “He may lash out when he wakes. He feels things strongly.” A faint tilt of the helmet let him know the message was received. An idea struck him, one that would make Obi-Wan most likely furious, but he didn’t care at that moment. “The jetiise want to steal him.”

“They steal them that old?”

“When it comes to my brother they do. They want to use him because he is a seer. He saw what should have happened here, the beginning of the fall of Mandalore and all of its people. Your culture? Erased. Tainted.” It was a low blow, one designed to spark rage and fury, and the way he could tell the warrior tensed up meant it had struck. 

“Then we owe him if what you say is true. The Mand’alor will want to know. You are coming back to camp with me. It would be best if your brother woke up to a familiar face.” Oh, how wrong that was, but Maul merely nodded in agreement. He glanced towards Hondo and waved a hand. 

“We are going to the camp. Do as you wish.”

Hondo looked up from what he was doing and laughed. “Oh, don’t worry, I always do. I think I will tag along. Little Ben will need his sabacc partner, no? I’ll just have my crew take care of the mess here.” _Great._

∘

The Force was crying softly. The sound pulled him slowly towards the warmth, stirring him from his slumber. He groaned as a headache started to set in the closer he got to consciousness. Everything hurt and he felt like he was drained of all of his powers. Obi-Wan struggled to even open his eyes and found himself flinching as he heard voices.

“I still say he needs another blanket.” That sounded like Hondo.

“He doesn’t need another blanket.” And that was Maul.

“You are both going to wake him with your constant bickering,” and that was someone he didn’t know. 

Obi-Wan forced his eyes open and found himself hissing at the sudden brightness. He felt like he was buried under blankets, which wasn’t surprising as he took in the sight of the many heavy ones on him. Where was he? He tried to sit up and suddenly a hand was pushing him back down. 

“Not so fast,” the stranger said as he leaned over Obi-Wan slightly. “You’ve had quite the day between jumping out of a ship and then passing out as the battle began.” Battle? What battle? And then it crashed back into his mind. He struggled under the blankets and tried to shove the hand away as he snarled in anger. They had killed the Jedi! He could still feel the loss in his soul. 

“I warned you,” Maul snapped as he shoved the man aside. Obi-Wan swore loudly as he tried to headbutt his kidnapper. The stranger laughed which only angered him more. 

“You killed them! I told you the vision because I wanted to stop the bloodshed! How could you-” He thrashed under the covers as Maul covered his mouth with a hand. Fingers tightened against his cheeks painfully as the Force seemed to whisper at him to calm down. The deaths were not wanted, but things would be okay. 

“Stop acting like a rabid tooka, you brat,” Maul snapped as he pushed Obi-Wan’s head into the pillow. “They were going to murder the Mandalorians and start a catastrophe. We did what we had to do!” He stopped struggling as the tears started to seep out of his eyes and watched in amazement as the Zabrak actually seemed to freak out. “Don’t do that! Stop. Ben, knock it off, just focus on releasing the emotions into your surroundings-”

And then the stranger was shoving the older Force user aside so he could pull a very confused Obi-Wan into his arms. “Shh, there is no shame in mourning,” the man whispered in his ear and it seemed to untie something inside of him. A sob escaped his mouth and he found himself burying his face against the armored chest. The metal was cooling and seemed to dampen his mind. He gripped at the edges of the chestplate as sobs began to wrack his body. 

They were dead. 

Their deaths were on his hands because he had shared the vision. 

“What is wrong with him,” Maul asked as Hondo smacked him lightly on the shoulder. 

“He is upset, friend. You said he _feels_ things. That battle must have been too much for him, I don’t blame him. He is young, innocent. We just forced him to stare straight into how the galaxy actually is. Let him cry for now, later we can let him win at sabacc and all will be forgotten.” 

“Shut up,” he managed to say in a ragged voice between his tears. The stranger made some sort of motion and barked something out in a language he didn’t understand, but Maul seemed to since he argued back in the same tongue. There was a pause and the stranger said something else. Maul snarled before grabbing Hondo by the arm and storming out of the tent they were in. A blast of cold air filled the space just before the door flap slammed shut again. 

“Now that should help you some, couple of di’kuts those two.” Obi-Wan didn’t know what was going on, but he already felt slightly calmer as he sagged against the strange adult. There was a mind numbness that seemed to come from clinging to him. A hand started to rub his back as the body shaking sobs started to slow down. Faint shame was setting in from how emotional he was being, but he couldn’t seem to stop the reaction. “That’s it. Bleed it off.”

When he seemed to be completely drained of any more tears he just sat there in the stranger’s arms. Grief swirled through his mind where it was chased by the Force. The Force seemed confused in his head. Obi-Wan didn’t even know how to begin to unravel the mess inside of him now. “I just...it was awful. I made it worse-”

“No, Ben’ika, you did what was needed. Maul told us about your vision, about how we were being set up to be slaughtered.” The stranger pushed him back slightly, hands on his shoulders, and fixed him with a look. “We owe you a debt.” Obi-Wan could only blink as his cheeks started to flush with embarrassment. They didn’t owe him anything! A snort escaped the man just before he was subjected to his hair being ruffled like he was some youngling. He tried to duck away and that only caused the other to actually laugh. “You’ll be fine. Now try to eat something and rest, you’ve been through something traumatic. There is no shame in needing some time to heal or for reacting how you did.” 

“But I’m not injured, Mister-”

“Jango, and I am talking about in here.” Jango tapped the back of his knuckles against Obi-Wan’s forehead. “The mind scars just like the body, boy. You need to eat, rest, and try to distract yourself for a bit. That annoying pirate was talking about sabacc games, but I think we should focus on some reading for now.” 

Obi-Wan felt truly stunned as he stared up at Jango with wide eyes. No one in the Temple had ever mentioned this type of healing, at least not that he recalled. All his outbursts had been met with reminders to be mindful, to control his emotions better. This person was telling him what had just happened was normal and he didn’t quite know how to line that up with the teachings of the Order. 

“Eat,” Jango ordered as he motioned to a bowl on a makeshift nightstand near the cot they were on. “Every single mouthful.” The look he got let him know that somehow the older man already knew he tended to not eat anything when he didn't feel good. Kriff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I named this one "Dooku gets wrecked" in my gdoc.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan groaned loudly as he yanked the blanket completely over his face, not caring it was a childlike action. His chance was gone. 
> 
> "Your brother is an escape artist," Jango finally said as he ended his call without a goodbye. He fixed Maul with a look that Obi-Wan could feel while hiding under the plush blanket. Oh, dear, they were going to argue again.
> 
> "If your people did a better job-"
> 
> "My people? You are lucky we let you stay-" And then the words switched to extremely heated ones in that infuriating language he didn't understand. His hands twisted in the blanket as he got bombarded by Maul's feelings in the Force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday~!  
> Please enjoy more fluff, more trauma, and a side of feels.

"Ben'ika," the voice echoed across the camp without actually being yelled. He thought it was both impressive and unsettling that Jango could make his voice carry like that without much effort. The Mand'alor had practically dragged him to a healer's tent when he had trouble staying asleep the night before. Obi-Wan was tired, but he was also determined to somehow make it to the edge of the camp without getting caught yet again. This made his, if he had kept track right; twentieth attempt. Each time he made it further and further thanks to his environment, helping him instead of hindering. Everyone was so busy packing the camp up or discussing what to do next that it was easy for him to slip by unnoticed right up until either Maul or Jango caught him. When Maul caught him, he was well aware the older Force user was both amused and annoyed, but when Jango caught him, he felt a little guilty at the clear disappointment he saw on the other's face. Jango was growing tired of his many attempts at trying to escape.

He still didn't exactly understand why an adult, who was the leader of the Mandalorians, spent so much time with him or why everyone seemed to go out of their way to be kind.

Nothing had made sense since the moment Maul had kidnapped him, and it was doing its best to continue being confusing. 

He needed to get back to the Temple.

His foot slipped on slippery rock beneath the snow, and he winced as he felt his ankle twist. Fantastic. The healer was going to have words for him again. This was going to be his second twisted ankle with his luck. His footwear really wasn't meant for this environment. Obi-Wan ducked behind a pile of crates before kneeling down to gently prod at the injury through his boot. Hondo had promised to bring him some warmer clothes and better boots when the pirates met up with them again. It had taken hours for Hondo and his crew to say goodbye a few days ago, mainly thanks to the captain and his dramatics, and he actually kind of missed the lunatic. He figured they had left to drop the one surviving Jedi off on some other planet, somewhere he didn't know. It had been made painfully clear to him that he wasn't to interact with her, and then she was just gone. His chance to get a message back to the Order went with her.

He bit his lower lip before he decided his ankle wouldn't slow him down too much. He could just ignore the pain. Obi-Wan stood up and let out a yelp as a hand grabbed him by the back of his borrowed jacket. Jango had found him, and he hadn't even made it as far as yesterday!

"What am I going to do with you," Jango sighed in frustration. "I have told you time and time again; it isn't safe outside the camp."

Obi-Wan twisted his head back slightly to look up at him with what he hoped were extremely sad eyes. Oh, he must not have looked pitiful enough because he found himself being yanked upward until he was being carried like he was some toddler. "I can walk," he grumbled despite resting his face against the chest plate of Jango's armor. The dampening of the Force headache he had endured all week was instant, and he sighed in relief. 

"Don't think you haven't already been ratted out, Ben'ika. I know you just twisted your ankle. There are eyes everywhere in this camp."

"Kriff," he breathed out before he could stop himself.

Jango paused in carrying him back to the healer's tent and fixed him with a look. "And where did you learn that word," there was anger behind those words, and Obi-Wan winced. His mind scrambled for an appropriate answer that wouldn't get him in trouble. 

"My brother?"

The arms around him tightened slightly, and Jango muttered something in a language he didn't understand. They were moving again, and he faintly wondered how loud the screaming match between Maul and Jango would get this time. The two of them went at it like storms trying to batter through each other when it came to him for some reason. Maul, frankly, unnerved him, unnerved a lot of people actually, but the way he acted around him was just strange. He looked at him like they knew each other; like he should remember. It had grown worse since the massacre nearly a week ago. Just thinking about that started the annoying tremble in his hands, and he couldn't seem to stop the tremors.

"I'm here," Jango said softly. "Be here with me, Ben'ika. There is no shame-"

"There is honor in grieving," he finished in a voice that cracked with emotion. The crying fits hit him at random times and left him feeling frustrated because it showed how little control he had over his emotions. The worst had been when he burst out crying over dinner last night, and several people had tried to comfort him at once, and the whole thing had just been so overwhelming. Maul had yelled, Obi-Wan had cried harder, Jango had ordered everyone to shut up, and then had forced him to keep eating. Nothing like stew with a fresh side of shame. He breathed through his nose and out through his mouth carefully in an attempt to stop the impending tears and kept doing so right up until he realized they weren't stopping in front of the healer's tent. He blinked and glanced up at the older man with confusion written across his features. The near fit of crying completely forgotten as Jango chuckled and pushed his way into the tent Maul and Obi-Wan shared. 

"You are going to sit and rest. We leave in two hours to go home. Your di'kut of a brother has already acquired travel packs for you both."

"But Hondo-"

"The pirate can find us or he won't," Jango set him down on the sleeping cot before sitting down next to him, clearly not planning on moving since they both knew Obi-Wan would try to run again. The small boy sighed before letting himself fall backward into the pile of blankets. He twisted one up in his arms and buried his face in the softness. Jango merely made himself comfortable, ignoring the dramatic preteen next to him, and began to answer his comms. Obi-Wan watched the holo calls from over the edge of the blanket and wondered just why he and Maul were going with the Mandalorians. Mandalorians and the Jedi Order did not exactly get along from what he remembered, something that had been proven by how fast things had turned into a bloodbath both in his vision and in real life. 

Could he tell Jango the truth? The window to do so was slowly closing, and he struggled with getting the words to form. He just needed to tell the man that Maul had kidnapped him, that he belonged to the Order, and then surely the Mandalorian would take him back to the Temple! Hope started to bubble up before it crashed down hard around him. He had been slated to be ejected from the Order because the Jedi didn't want him... so going back meant he would just have the same fate again. Master Jinn probably had picked Bruck as a padawan now anyway. That didn't matter, though, right? The Order still needed to know about Maul and Galidraan. They may not want him, but he still saw them as family. They were, after all, the only one he remembered. He finally struggled in the blankets a moment before sitting up so he could put a hand on Jango's upper arm. 

"Maul isn't-" And then his fake brother burst into the tent, promptly destroying all of the courage he had just built up. The Force actually seemed happy at this turn of events, and Obi-Wan could only stare at Maul while Jango stared down at him with the comm still on.

"Ben," there was actually a hint of worry in the older Force user's voice. "You snuck off again!"

Obi-Wan groaned loudly as he yanked the blanket completely over his face, not caring it was a childlike action. His chance was gone. 

"Your brother is an escape artist," Jango finally said as he ended his call without a goodbye. He fixed Maul with a look that Obi-Wan could feel while hiding under the plush blanket. Oh, dear, they were going to argue again.

"If your people did a better job-"

"My people? You are lucky we let you stay-" And then the words switched to extremely heated ones in that infuriating language he didn't understand. His hands twisted in the blanket as he got bombarded by Maul's feelings in the Force. _Pain-anger-fear-wanting-protect-protect-protect!_ Each feeling slammed against his already frail shields that hadn't exactly repaired after the day Maul had killed Master Dooku. He tried to bite back a sound of anguish and knew his arms were spasming at this point. He didn't even notice as the blanket was ripped away from his grasp. His head was splitting open from the inside out.

"Hold him," Maul snapped while fear circled around him. It lashed out, snapping hard, and it was ripping at his mind. Obi-Wan wanted to get away from that and practically crawled up Jango's side. The second he was clinging to the armor, the feelings started to feel muffled. Jango's arm circled him protectively while Maul grabbed his head roughly. 

"Little brother, why didn't you say anything," yellow eyes bore into his, stopping the growing glare when he realized that fear was for him. Why did Maul care? Why did he keep him alive? The questions began to erupt in his mind, and he opened his mouth to reply to the clearly rhetorical question. The look he got from the Zabrak, however, had him swallowing his words. "Why didn't they teach you more? Those idiots. Fools. This is going to hurt for a moment, and I am truly sorry."

Jango's arms tightened slightly at the warning, and then pain lanced through his mind. Obi-Wan bit his lower lip to stop the scream. The pain grew with each moment, lashing inside of his mind, and he tried to shove it out.

"Stop fighting! I'm trying to fix you," Maul snarled, and the pain hit harder. Obi-Wan tasted blood just before he screamed. Jango remained silent, unmoving even, and then it all just suddenly stopped. The pain seeped away, as did the presence of Maul in his head, then there was a sort of calm. He blinked before a hysterical laugh escaped him. 

"You better explain what just happened before I leave Ben'ika without any family," Jango growled with pure anger. Anger that Obi-Wan couldn't feel in his head. Oh, oh! He couldn't feel the erratic emotions of Maul!

He wanted to cry with relief.

"His shields- I told you he feels! He was feeling everything, and he did what he always does! He didn't say anything. I threw up shields until he can put his own back up, but I am not exactly skilled. There was a slight chance I could have-" Obi-Wan winced as Jango shoved him into the blankets. The Mand'alor moved fast, and both Force users were surprised when Maul found himself with a knife pressed rather hard to his throat. 

"Could have _what_ , Maul," the words dripped with the promise of violence. He could only picture the tent walls splattered with red. 

"Jango," he found himself saying while sitting up. "He didn't hurt me! I mean, he did, but it was to help-" He clicked his mouth shut hard enough to feel his teeth vibrate the second a hand signaled for him to stop talking. They had been around the Mandalorians long enough to pick up when Jango motioned for someone to shut up. Maul cast him a wide-eyed look that clearly screamed he didn't know how things had turned out this way. 

"Ah, well, he wouldn't have died. Merely passed out and perhaps forgotten a few things," Maul held up both his hands up in a sign of surrender. "Ben would have gone insane without what I did. I merely assured that won't happen. With the proper lessons, he can do this to himself with far less pain. He wasn't given enough training on repairing his own defenses." The blade didn't move, but Jango did turn his face towards the redhead on the cot. Silence stretched for a moment before the Mandalorian finally made a show of backing up.

"You both ride on my ship. You will teach Ben'ika how to do what he needs to do because if you ever do that to him again, I will rip you apart with my bare hands. Understand me?" 

Maul gave a jerky nod, and the atmosphere in the tent seemed to lighten instantly. Obi-Wan let out a noise of relief and tensed up as both adults looked at him again. Whoops. He settled on just pulling the blanket back over his face while sinking into the cot. He let out a sound of protest as someone hit the bottom of his boot lightly to get his attention. 

"Ben'ika," ah, so it was Jango. "What have I told you?"

"...do I have to," the words came out whiney, and he held the blanket tighter. The gruff sigh let him know he was in trouble. 

"Maul, leave." His fake brother must have listened because a blast of cold air filled the tent for a brief moment. He tried to cling to the blanket even as Jango pulled it away, fingers losing the battle since the Mandalorian was far stronger. "Ben'ika, I am not going to ask again." 

Obi-Wan sighed before finally sitting up and turning his face up towards Jango for inspection. He tried not to wince as a thumb pressed underneath the damage he had caused to his lip. The older man crouched down slightly while digging into one of his belt pouches, a small tube appeared, and he honestly tried not to squirm while bacta was applied to his injury. The stuff was slimy and pungent. His eyes were already watering from the stench, but he had to admit the pain was numbing. Downside was his mouth was going to taste like bacta for days now because he would forget, and he would accidentally lick the stuff when nervous. 

"Next time, just scream. Biting your lip was stupid." 

"But-"

"Ben."

He flushed to the point the tips of his ears turned red. He bowed his head as he nodded his understanding. Jango Fett was by far the strangest adult he had ever met and that was saying a lot since he knew Hondo.

Everything was just so kriffing confusing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, Hondo will be back! Hope you all enjoyed <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maul sneered at Jango before he slowly stood up. “Your threats will be the end of you, old man,” he bit out before shoving past the Mandalorian. The man snagged him by the elbow and yanked hard. Maul couldn’t help the growl that escaped him as he turned to glare at the warrior. He felt like a teenager, angry and unstable, and he wanted to claw the judging look off the other’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... may have been drinking and writing. Enjoy my alcohol alchemy chapter.

The reflection was mocking him like a memory corrupted. He knew each scar, each blackened line against flesh, and he knew those golden eyes that were starting to have bubbles of other colors- as if his eyes were no longer molten, but rather closer to honey. Something had softened him. Something? No. The Force had decided to mess with him further. He had noticed back on Hondo's ship when the pirates treated him like some youngster at times. Maul had stared in a mirror back then and assumed his mind was still hazed from being thrust so soundly into the past. The Mandalorians had treated him like he was barely an adult, but had also feared him. No, he wished they feared him. They put up with him.

All of the reputation he had clawed from the depths was simply gone. He was just Maul here and, more painfully, reminded; Ben'ika's brother. 

Ben'ika, who had tried over and over again to escape. Jango Fett had seemed to take one look at the boy and decided that Obi-Wan wouldn't ever be able to run. The half-lie about the Jedi wanting the boy only sealed that deal. The Mand'alor would destroy people in a bid to keep his brother safe. 

Maul frowned at his reflection before he moved to sink down to the floor for some meditation. Perhaps the Force would be kind enough to explain why he looked like he was merely in his teens now, instead of the fifties he had been. He cursed the metal legs; he praised them. The Force was cruel, perhaps revenge for all of the children he had stolen from it? His blades had dripped with lives back when he had been at his strongest. This could be useful, actually, having a younger body while still having all the knowledge he had gained over the years would only help him protect Kenobi.

"What are you doing," Jango always sounded like he wanted to punch Maul's heart out when they talked, and this was no different. Maul peeled his lips back from his teeth; annoyance zapped through him when the Mand'alor didn't even flinch. That was a man made of durasteel and spite. 

"Meditating or I would be if you didn't interrupt me," he snarled. Jango merely gave him an unimpressed look. He had never felt more like a child than at this moment. He felt like he was about to get scolded, which was so much worse than being struck for some unknown reason. 

"Where is your brother?"

Maul blinked before twisting to glance behind him. Cold pooled in his gut when he saw the bed was empty. Kenobi had somehow slipped off while he had been trapped in his self pity. Not again, this was going to become some sort of issue if he didn’t start becoming more aware of his charge. Thankfully, this only seemed to happen on these blasted ships. Kenobi couldn’t get far. "He is probably in the vents," he rubbed just below his horns as he felt a headache growing. "He… he did this on Hondo's ship too. He is getting the damn lay of the land."

Jango was silent, clearly thinking something over, before he nodded. "I think it is time you both have some lessons. To be blunt, you are bantha poodoo at raising your brother. I don't know, and I don't care about what happened before this, but my ship. My rules. Find him before the third meal, or I am spacing you. While you do that, I'll find my lesson modules."

Lessons? Maul wasn't some child that needed to be taught! He pulled his shoulders back as anger danced around him. Weaker men would have coward at the gaze, trembled even, but Jango merely raised a single eyebrow. "I will not repeat myself. Find Ben'ika and pray when you do, he hasn't hurt himself again." There was a threat in the air, unspoken, but he got the message all the same. If Kenobi was injured, then he would soon be as well. He envisioned cutting Jango Fett down, just slicing his red blades through that man, but some saner part of his mind stalled his hand. Jango was a key piece to his plans of protecting Obi-Wan Kenobi, the boy who was so much more than he realized. 

Visions. 

Compassion.

Those damn eyes that seemed to hold the galaxy in them. It was clear he was both loved and hated by the Force, a true son of that power. Maul sneered at Jango before he slowly stood up. “Your threats will be the end of you, old man,” he bit out before shoving past the Mandalorian. The man snagged him by the elbow and yanked hard. Maul couldn’t help the growl that escaped him as he turned to glare at the warrior. He felt like a teenager, angry and unstable, and he wanted to claw the judging look off the other’s face. 

“Watch your mouth. You forget I am the one in charge here. You may have the weapon of a jetii, but you and I both know you are far from that. I am not going to ask how you found your brother but listen to me well, boy. I am going to make sure you don’t destroy him. Give me a reason not to claim him,” Jango’s words were like chunks of ice pelting against his mind. He had wanted the Mandalorians to want Obi-Wan, hadn’t he? He couldn’t remember. The plan in his head was jumbled, tangled, ever changing, and he realized he may have misstepped. Kenobi had saved them, proven himself over and over back in the camp, and now they were trapped on this abhorrent ship hurtling towards the unknown. 

“To claim him, you’d have to claim me,” he retorted. There was no way Jango Fett would claim someone like him- A slow, triumphant smile appeared on Jango’s face, and something dark lit up his eyes. The Force was howling with laughter in his mind, and he barely heard the words falling from the man’s lips.

“Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad.” _I know your name as my child._ “I name you Maul Fett, of Clan Mereel.”

“No,” the word ripped from him violently, laced with horror, while he tried to yank his arm free. He needed to escape; he needed to get away- he needed to find Obi-Wan before it was too late. “No! Take it back, TAKE IT BACK!” He struggled as Jango pulled him forward, a hand coming to tangle in his horns before a forehead was pressed against his. He had no family outside of Kenobi, this wasn’t supposed to be happening. The Force pulsed warmly, falling around him like some blanket, and Maul screamed in anger. He didn’t want comfort! 

He would destroy the Mand’alor. 

“Ben’ika, find him,” Jango ignored the outburst with clear practice. “Third meal. I will not be disobeyed, ad.” He shoved Maul away hard, releasing both his horns and elbow. 

“I will destroy you,” he snapped as he stormed off like a child in the throes of a tantrum. This was Obi-Wan’s fault! This was all Obi-Wan’s fault, and he would make the boy scream as revenge. He could hear Jango’s laughter chasing after him, and it did nothing to ease his mood. When Jango claimed Obi-Wan, the Order would lose all rights to the boy. They wouldn’t want him, and the Mandalorians wouldn’t give him up. 

Kenobi was safe.

This wasn’t the worst thing to happen; he just didn’t get why he had to be kriffing adopted too.

°

Just one more section, just a little further! Obi-Wan winced when a rough part of the vent wall scrapped along his arm. He could feel the abrasion developing on his arm, but he kept squirming forward. Jango wasn’t in the cockpit; he could tell that with the aid of the Force. The man was with Maul, emotions dark and stormy in that section of the ship, and that meant now was the perfect time to do something most likely dangerous. He just needed to find the section that went through the cockpit, and he could hop out. Simple. Once inside, he planned on locking the door, dropping out of hyperspace, and somehow, contact the Order before he got caught.

He winced as the scratches on his arm stung thanks to him slipping slightly in the vent. His arm ran along the siding, and pain danced over his flesh. Hopefully, if he was lucky, there would be a medpac in the cockpit. The scratches on his arms were turning quickly into something worse. He paused in his mission so he could focus on centering himself. Pain would not stop him; he merely needed to release it into the Force. His eyes closed, his breathing slowed for a moment, and then a scream escaped him as he tumbled sideways. Obi-Wan tried to grip at the edge of the vents, but Maul was yanking him free rather roughly with the Force. He hadn’t sensed him! The older Force user clearly was an expert at cloaking himself, and he made a mental note of that. Future attempts at escape were going to be far riskier than he hoped. 

“You idiot,” Maul snapped while shoving him to the ground. Obi-Wan bit out a sound of pain as the back of his head hit the wall. He settled on glaring at his kidnapper, shifting enough to hide his injured arm between the wall and his side. “What could you have possibly thought you were going to do? There is no where to go! There is nothing outside of this ship except your death!” He recoiled at the sheer anger and worry that slammed up against his mind. The shields Maul had put in place were holding, but some of the emotion clung to his skin like a sick oil. Cloying and unwanted. 

“I was exploring,” he lied. 

“Don’t give me that, I know you. What were you plotting?” Maul leaned over him, eyes flashing to a brighter yellow, and Obi-Wan made his face go blank. No fear, no emotion, give nothing away. The rules that applied to sabacc applied to this situation. 

“Nothing,” he snapped as he kicked out with a foot. The sole of his boot hit the metal of Maul’s leg with a loud clang. Maul didn’t even shift, but Obi-Wan winced and found himself trying to scramble away as the monster that said they were brothers moved. He tried to cling to the flooring, pressing his fingers through the grating, but he could feel Maul yanking him upward. He screamed and did his best to struggle. His foot managed to connect with the other’s side; that much was obvious by the swear words that followed the feeling of connecting with flesh. He tried to keep his fingers in the grating, even as pain erupted in his hands, and he let out a few words he knew would cause Jango to get angry.

“Maul,” Jango’s voice echoed through the hall, causing both Force users to freeze. Obi-Wan took the chance to kick back hard and was rewarded with a grunt of pain from Maul. He yelped as he abruptly dropped to the floor, where he landed with a clang that was followed by a sound of pain. “I said find him, not try to start a war inside of my ship.” 

Obi-Wan groaned a tad more dramatically than needed and rolled over onto his back. Everything hurt. Jango gave him an amused look before crouching down, and he saw the exact instant the man noticed the slightly bloodied fingers and arm. The Mand’alor was too close; Obi-Wan stopped breathing for a second as he stared with wide eyes. There was anger in the other’s expression, but there was something so painfully caring. He felt like something was about to happen, and the Force thrummed around him excitedly. _It will be fine, everything will be fine._ Jango grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm just enough to take a good look at the long, angry marks on his arm. The grip tightened a painful fraction just before Jango leveled a glare at Maul. 

“Would you care to explain?”

Maul crossed his arms over his chest before snorting in annoyance. “That wasn’t me. He has a habit of doing that to himself. If I wasn’t around, he’d end up killing himself on accident….buir.” The last word didn’t make sense to Obi-Wan, but he could practically taste the venom that it had been delivered with. Jango’s smile was like a weapon, sharp and deadly. He tried to yank his wrist free, but the grip was annoyingly strong. He yanked his arm harder, and Maul motioned to him as if trying to portray that _this_ \- this was exactly what he meant. He only stilled his struggle of trying to pull his arm free when he found himself the focus of one very intent gaze. Jango’s eyes were a storm, and he was afraid he was about to be caught in the middle of the chaos. 

“Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad.” What? The words meant absolutely nothing to him, but Maul was blanching. The Force was singing. He felt safe; he felt like he was in danger. “I name you Ben Fett, of Clan Mereel.” The Force collapsed on him like an oversized tooka, Obi-Wan couldn’t move while he tried to comprehend what had just happened. Clan Mereel? Ben Fett? Did he just get adopted? He wasn’t supposed to have attachments- not if he wanted to grow up to be a Jedi. Jango scooped him up off the ground easily enough, and he didn’t even struggle since the Force was still lounging on him like an invisible animal. He was suddenly just so exhausted. “Maul,” Jango’s chest rumbled under his cheek, and he realized the other wasn’t wearing his normal armor. His eyes had noticed, but his brain had been slow in catching up, thanks to everything that had just happened. The shirt was shockingly comfortable. He sighed softly as he snuggled closer to that soft material. “You can handle making third meal while I deal with Ben’ika.” 

“How do you know I won’t poison the food,” Maul grumbled even as he began to turn to do as ordered. That was confusing, almost as confusing as Jango brushing some of the hair out of his face. 

“Because you get to taste it first. Remember, you try anything, and I will not hesitate to space you,” Jango drawled out before walking down the hall with clear purpose. Obi-Wan glanced over the man’s shoulder at Maul and was shocked to see the Zabrak vanishing through a doorway. Since when did Maul listen to Jango? “Come on, verd’ika, let’s get those injuries looked to, and then you stay with me in the cockpit while I make sure you do a module on Mando’a.” 

“Mando’a...that’s the language you and Maul speak,” he felt the yawn escape him. 

“It is, and it is your language now, Ben’ika,” Jango murmured fondly. 

Wait; what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. Things just never seem to go calmly for poor Obi-Wan. Oops?


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He is our buir, Ben. Get it through your head, we are family,” Maul’s voice dripped with annoyance. “I’m growing tired of your tantrums. He adopted us; it can’t be undone. Besides, it isn’t the worst thing. There are worse people out there that could have taken interest in you.” Jango flashed a faint grin at his eldest son before tightening his arms around the squirming one. 
> 
> “No! I can’t- they won’t take me back-”
> 
> “They didn’t want you! Where were you going, brother? Where were they sending you? How little did they want you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I present a new chapter! I spent the weekend writing and playing lots of video games.   
> I don't want to go back to work tomorrow T_T

The small presence of Ben'ika in the copilot seat was radiating annoyance; Jango was trying his best not to smile. The last thing he needed was for his ad to stab him for laughing at the obvious mood over displeasure. The small seer, possible stolen jetii, was not making things easy. The escape attempts had drastically diminished now that he kept the boy by his side, but that didn't mean Ben'ika was keen on opening up to him. He kept his gaze focused on the landing pad just outside the ship. He propped an elbow upon the arm of his seat before resting his cheek on a gloved fist. 

Jango couldn't help wondering, yet again, if he had made the best decision. He just wanted to protect the vod’ika, him, and his violent brother. 

"It doesn't make sense," a sullen voice spoke out, and Jango swiveled in his seat to give Ben'ika his full attention. He didn't say a word but waited for the other to offer up more. Silence stretched for a moment before he was rewarded for being patient. Okay, he had successfully mastered one part of being a buir today. Wait, the kid out. "Why are we just sitting on the ship? We landed ages ago. You've made no move to disembark…"

"I was waiting until you were ready," he replied easily enough and hated the way Ben's face seemed to crumble into something uncertain. It hurt to see the signs that his ad had clearly been ignored or forgotten. Someone had neglected the child, and when he met them? He would rend them limb from limb without a second thought. Maul was near obsessive with his little brother, the two had some extremely painful brawls, but he didn't think it was Maul who had left Ben so forlorn at the first sign of being important to someone. Maul was violent, like a wind storm, but he softened faintly when he was around Ben. Jango knew, somehow, that the older brother would never actually maim the younger brother, despite their violent clashes. His ship already bore the wounds of a few of their nastier encounters during the trip to the compound. He didn't know what life his little warrior had before Maul, but he was positive that the older, chaotic warrior had stolen Ben. Not that he blamed him any, no, it had been smart of Maul. The Zabrak was simply just ill-equipped when it came to raising a child. Jango let out a sigh before crossing his arms over his chest. 

Ben was just frowning at him, and he was losing patience. 

"Ben'ika, would you like to see our home?"

"...it is yours, not mine." So they were going to argue again, it seemed. 

" _Ours._ You, me, and Maul." The past few cycles, he had tried to drum the idea they were all family into Ben's extremely stubborn head, but the boy was willfully ignoring everything. "Ben'ika," his voice came out in a warning way, and the redhead tensed. The glower was impressive and very Maul-like, and Jango had to do his best to keep his face schooled with a mask of unimpressed indifference. Ben was such a little pain in the shebs sometimes.

"Jango," the boy parroted back in the same tone.

"Buir," he corrected instantly. "I will not wait any longer, we are leaving this ship, and I will carry you off of it if I have to, ad." 

Ben’s gaze flickered towards the doorway, the only sign he gave that he was about to bolt, but Jango caught on fast enough. The boy lurched from the seat, boots clattering on the floor, and a loud yell filled the cockpit as Jango wrapped an arm rather roughly around his waist. He jerked his head out of the way as the younger boy tried to crack him in the chin with the back of his head. 

Smart, even if the escape attempt had just happened blatantly in front of him. 

“Have to try harder,” he said without hiding the amusement this time. A pointed elbow tried to get him in the hip, and he snickered before he could stop the sound. 

“Stop laughing,” Ben twisted in his arm and shoved the palm of his hand hard against Jango’s chin. 

“You are blinded by your anger,” Maul’s voice drifted from the doorway. “You should have gone for his eyes. Buir doesn’t keep his helmet on around us; you could easily blind him.” Jango snorted and grabbed Ben’s wrist, twisting the arm down as the boy struggled harder. He moved just enough to wrap his arms around his boy tightly, a hug and a prison. 

“He isn’t-”

“He is our buir, Ben. Get it through your head, we are family,” Maul’s voice dripped with annoyance. “I’m growing tired of your tantrums. He adopted us; it can’t be undone. Besides, it isn’t the worst thing. There are worse people out there that could have taken interest in you.” Jango flashed a faint grin at his eldest son before tightening his arms around the squirming one. 

“No! I can’t- they won’t take me back-”

“They didn’t want you! Where were you going, brother? Where were they sending you? How little did they want you?” The words sounded cruel, but they made Ben stop trying to break free of his arms. Trembling arms went around his waist, and the boy hid his face against his chest. Maul had landed a blow and also given away where his boy was from. Jettise. Jango’s lips pulled back from his teeth while he gripped the back of Ben’s head. The boy was a jetii; after all, Maul had stolen a karking jetii child! Well, he wasn’t going to give the boy back, not after Galidraan. 

“What did you do,” he didn’t dare pull his gaze away from Maul. “Answer me.”

“You should have asked before you said the vows, old man,” Maul had the nerve to just lean against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. “Would have saved you a galaxy of trouble. They were sending him away, sending him to be some farmer because he can’t control his emotions. They wouldn’t have listened to his vision, not like I did, not like you will. Ben is power, he is everything, and they were manipulating him! Breaking him down so they could yank him back to the Order when he would finally listen to orders like a puppet! They’ll take everything from him, everything! And like the fool he is, he will give without thinking about how it is killing him.” Each word drummed out more and more emotion, and Jango felt like he was suffocating on the things. Ben shifted in his arms, and a hand tugged faintly to get his attention. Without a word, he loosened his grip on the boy so he could yank him up off the ground. His arms went under Ben while Ben wrapped arms around his neck, burying his face against a shoulder, legs dangled at his sides. His gaze was fixed solely on Maul as he realized he had just declared war against the jettise. 

“He is mine now, as are you, the jettise can try and get him back, which is exactly what I think you wanted, _boy_ ,” Jango rested his cheek on the top of Ben’s head as he realized just how cunning Maul was. He had walked straight into the trap of protecting them, and he wasn’t even upset. He had Ben’ika. “You are lucky; I am a rational person.”

Maul snorted before finally letting his molten eyes shift to Ben. “Little brother,” his voice was softer, almost caring. “I know you won’t stop trying to fight, trying to run, but this is really for the best.” Ben didn’t respond, just gave a faint shake of his head. Jango sighed and jerked his chin towards the door, a message, and an order. They were leaving the ship. Maul sneered before turning on his heel to stalk ahead, ever the temperamental teenager. His Clan wouldn’t know what hit them, his people would learn though, he had two powerful warriors that would help them thrive. 

“I won’t force you to face them today,” he informed the boy in his arms, a soft lilt coating his words. “But you will have to face them, Ben’ika. They are your people now, our people.” With those final words, he made his way through the ship and down the boarding ramp. Helmets turned his way, and he could feel the curiosity as the Mandalorians stared. Ben merely tightened his arms around his neck and refused to say a word. That was impressively stubborn and showed just how much he trusted his buir to watch his back. Ben probably wasn’t doing it on purpose, but Jango was going to savor the moment anyway. 

“Lor,” Myles walked up to his side, visor tipping towards the boy. “The matter has been handled, and we are hunting down sects of Death Watch as we speak.” 

“I would be useful in that hunt,” Maul offered up as he fell into step just a fraction behind Jango. Good, he knew his place without being told. Though Jango mused, he would hardly care if they walked side by side. He wasn’t worried a red blade was about to puncture him through the chest, not while he held Ben’ika. Maul was wild, the embodiment of rage, but he wouldn’t risk killing his little brother.

“No, you will stay here. Ben’ika needs more training and time to adjust. We both know he is going to try and run again,” he didn’t even bother hiding the fact he was making plans to keep his smallest ad by his side. “You know how best to handle the magicks, Maul’ika.”

Ben snorted in annoyance against his chest. Ah, the boy was listening. 

“As you wish, buir,” Maul managed to make the words sound like they were a gift and a warning at the same time. Jango cast a glance over his shoulder, but the Zabrak merely looked bored. 

“I had rooms prepared for them. Ben’s is next to yours and Maul’s on the other side of Ben’s,” Myles interrupted. The boy in his arms tensed just slightly. Jango grinned at the fact the boy had realized they were keeping him under lock and key by placing the rooms that way. 

“Good, we will wait a few days, let everyone get adjusted, and then we will visit the Armorer,” he grinned harder as Maul made a faint sound of surprise. He’d see his boys earning their beskar’gam.

°

Relying on the Force to sense her way through the world wasn’t coming easily to her. Her face still ached since the pirates hadn’t exactly shared much bacta with her and when that was mixed with the violently destroyed training bond in her head? Komari was struggling. She knew they had landed back on Coruscant, and she knew the pirates had basically dropped her on the steps of the Temple like something unwanted. She tried to keep her chin raised, tried to look dignified as she marched up those steps, but she knew the stained bandage over her eyes was going to earn her looks. Komari had often been told by her Master that appearances were important, they could be used as a weapon or a balm, and now her face was marred by a red blade. There was also the issue of her hair was matted, her skin felt like it was covered in grime, and her own nose informed her less than politely that she smelled ripe. The pirates hadn’t let her use the sonic. 

The whole time on the ship had been like a blaster bolt to the mind. A cold bounced around, coating various areas, whispering things to her. There had also been the presence of another Force user, untrained- probably that brat that had tried to stop Galidraan. Master Dooku had wanted to take him back, she had sensed it, but she had just seen a pathetic whelp that was letting emotions rule them.

“I need to see the Council,” she informed a Temple Guard while doing her best not to fidget as she felt a gaze on her. There was no way to hide the wince that danced across her face when a Force presence seemed to lance against her mind. She turned her face towards the source and felt faint sadness for a moment.

“Feel it, I did,” Master Yoda reached up with a hand to grab one of hers carefully. Comfort washed over her, and Komari felt some of the anger simmering inside of her lessen just a fraction. “A great loss, yes. He is one with the Force now, young one. Come, woke up, Master Jinn has. Talk, we must. Yes, talk, the three of us shall.” 

She inclined her head in agreement and had to wonder what had happened in the Temple. Flickers of cold skated past her, combined with the fear of that Force user that had been on the pirate’s ship. A picture was forming in her head, and she realized that maybe the youngling hadn’t gone so willingly with the Zabrak.

“There is a youngling we need to get back,” she found herself saying, and the hand holding hers tightened reassuringly. 

“Talk of young Kenobi, we will, after we are with Master Jinn.”

“Yes, Master.”

When they finally found Master Jinn, she realized the room smelled of medicine and felt sterile against her mind, so she wasn’t surprised when a healer had her sitting down on a bed. Her focus was on the conversation, despite having to focus on not flinching as hands pulled at bandages. 

“Master Jinn, see you well, it is good,” Master Yoda said with actual affection. “In the bacta tank forever, I feared.”

“I am quite well, I am...still getting used to the new arm,” the other man said a tad ruefully. 

“Mmm, Padawan Vosa has returned, dying to tell us a tale, I think?”

Komari sat up straighter and earned a tsk from the healer. Her jaw clenched a moment as a soft compress rubbed against her face, an alcohol like solution cleaning her injury. “The Sith are back,” she said matter of factly. “One of them killed Master Dooku and has stolen a youngling. A boy, Kenobi, he...has visions.”

Silence rang in the area for a moment before Master Yoda sighed.

“Take him as your Padawan, I suggested, but no, no. Stubborn as always,” the small Jedi Master said with far more sass then Komari had ever heard him use in her life. 

“Master,” Qui-Gon said a tad tensely. “The boy was hardly suited-”

“The Sith,” Komari interrupted before the two Masters could begin bickering like a pair of younglings. “We need to be worried about the Sith!”

°

Maul glared at Obi-Wan, and the young boy was returning the favor. A dish of some pungent stew sat on the table between them, the kind of efforts of Jango, and Maul had the urge to just grab Obi-Wan by the back to the head and shove his face straight into the spicy food.

"No," Obi-Wan repeated himself. "You can get karked."

Jango choked on his drink and wasted no time reaching out to flick his fingers against Ben's cheek. "Language, Ben'ika." Obi-Wan merely looked somewhat embarrassed before dragging his spoon through the stew in his bowl. He slowly inched further and further down in his seat, so he was slouching. Maul glanced towards Jango, but the man was merely smirking while watching the rebellion unfold. 

“Buir will back me up,” he finally said as he glared at his little brother. “You need to spend more time meditating with me. I can also help you with any of your modules-”

“I don’t want your help,” Obi-Wan bit out, and Maul wondered how much trouble he would get in for stabbing the brat with a spoon. “I don’t want lessons. I want to go back-”

“Enough,” Jango’s voice lashed out. Both Maul and Kenobi tensed before casting matching looks towards the Mand’alor. “You,” the man pointed at Obi-Wan with a spoon. “Are going to do those modules, or I will make life very difficult for you.” Ben opened his mouth to argue and ended up with a mouthful of the stew he had yet to try. A strangled cough escaped him as he shoved away Jango’s hand. Maul knew the stew was spicy, probably spicier than anything his little brother had ever really eaten before. 

“M-milk,” Obi-Wan said while waving a hand in front of his open mouth, trying to cool off the burn. Jango snorted at the dramatics and picked up the glass of blue milk, keeping it just out of Kenobi’s reach. 

“You get the blue milk when you agree to the lessons.” Maul was impressed. That was cruel and effective. “Also, you live here now. I grow tired of reminding you.” 

Obi-Wan stretched his hands out towards the milk, calling on the Force, and Maul promptly shoved out with his own power. Kenobi’s chair lurched away from the table, and the boy yelped. Jango shot him a glare, but Maul merely shrugged before eating a large mouthful of the spicy food. 

“Ben’ika,” their buir said again while turning his attention back to the boy. 

“Fine,” Obi-Wan snapped. “I’ll do as I am told.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this one. There was some more plot, kinda? lol This isn't a complete dumpster fire of chaotic murder fam.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan, naturally, held his hand up in a rude gesture that had Jango swearing loudly. His youth and stature worked in his favor as he ducked through window openings and tight spaces that slowed the others down. He had to dodge a few of the clan members while he ran, but no one tried to stop him. Which most likely had to do with the fact the Mand'alor was hot on his heels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! 
> 
> I have nothing witty to say, but I do want to say I love you all. Thank you for reading! I love the comments, the interactions, all of it!

_Thwack._

Pain shot up his arm while his wrist protested loudly. Obi-Wan bit back a yell of discomfort as he quickly shifted away from the next strike. The practice wooden blade hit the ground with way too much force and he just knew he would have broken something trying to block that strike. His opponent was a savage fighter and had finally decided to stop holding back. 

"Maul," the name was said like a warning and he watched his fake- or rather now real- brother make a face of annoyance. Jango had no problem letting them spar, but he always stopped them from breaking each other's limbs. He assumed the man was doing work at a makeshift desk so he could keep an eye on them and also, probably the main reason, to make sure he could stop him from running yet again. He didn't think Maul would break him on purpose during a training spar, but it seemed no one wanted to take that risk. (That or Jango was really worried he'd run in broad daylight.) Obi-Wan stuck his tongue out at Maul to communicate how he felt about this fight and quickly had to dance backward to avoid another brutal swing of practice blade. "Ben'ika, stop antagonizing him," Jango sighed before his attention turned back to the datapad he was working on. Oops, he had been caught making faces. Dinner was going to be painfully spicy again as punishment, at least he was pretty sure the food was punishment. He had yet to adapt to such flavorful cuisine so his viewing it as a punishment was biased, he knew, but he still had that thought anyway.

The blades crashed into each other, mere inches from his face, and Maul snarled at him. Obi-Wan bared his teeth in response before shoving out with the Force. The older Force user disengaged by jumping backward, clearly ready for a new attack.

Obi-Wan was going to hit him in the face if he could. 

Suddenly he stopped, turning his face towards the sky. He felt him the second he entered the atmosphere. A blade smacked into his shoulder and a grunt of pain escaped his mouth before he shot a glare at Maul. Obi-Wan tossed his blade at his brother, catching him off guard, and quickly bolted. Yelling erupted behind him, a mixture of Jango and Maul, but he didn't even pause in his mad dash out of the training yard. A whisper of warning and he was dodging a training blade that hurtled right past his shoulder. The wood slammed into a wall near his head and he couldn't help the wince that escaped him at the noise it made. That would have certainly hurt. Obi-Wan, naturally, held his hand up in a rude gesture that had Jango swearing loudly. His youth and stature worked in his favor as he ducked through window openings and tight spaces that slowed the others down. He had to dodge a few of the clan members while he ran, but no one tried to stop him. Which most likely had to do with the fact the Mand'alor was hot on his heels. This was hardly the first time this event had played out, but it was the first time he wasn't exactly trying to escape. Okay, Jango's fears were very founded in reality and the desk in the training yard was a wise move. When he finally made it to the shipyard, a familiar ship was touching down. Excitement blossomed inside of him at the mere thought of what was to come. 

"Hondo," he yelled with actual joy as the landing ramp lowered. The pirate in question grinned hard all while rushing down the ramp to meet him. Joy danced in the air and Obi-Wan felt actually happy for the moment. Boots clanged against metal before being muffled by the compacted dirt of the shipyard as Hondo stepped out on the planet for the first time.

"Little Ben," Hondo caught him in a hug, lifting him off the ground, and spun them both around. The feeling was intoxicating. He hadn't realized how much he had missed Hondo's eccentricness until this very moment. "It is good to see my favorite little troublemaker! Come, let me steal you away, and you can be my First Mate. We shall swindle the Galaxy!"

"No, drop the boy and get back on that ship," Jango's angry voice cut across the yard. Hondo tensed and then simply hugged Obi-Wan harder. A faint squeak of discomfort escaped him, but he didn't try to remove himself from the embrace. He did swing his feet slightly, wishing he was safely on the ground for this embrace, but this was hardly awful. 

"Now, now, friend, no need to be like that," Hondo said with clear amusement. "I've only come for my payment and to square away some debt with Maul." As he spoke he finally set Obi-Wan back down, but kept an arm across the boy's shoulders. It almost felt like every adult was certain he was about to run, and then, he realized he was going to have to slow down his attempts at escaping. If they thought he was content then they'd stop watching him so closely. Maybe.

"Let him stay, buir. Just a bit," Obi-Wan did his best to give a pleading look to go along with the request and was left feeling confused as the very air around him went silent. Hondo blinked, blinked again, and then looked from him and then to Jango. Jango was simply staring at him as if he had just set himself on fire or something. 

What had he said wrong?

"Now hang on a moment," Hondo motioned between them. "That's hardly fair! He was supposed to be my sabacc partner, not your son. You Mandalorians, always adopting people! I had first claim, I tell you, he should have been mine!"

"You said buir," Jango rushed forward, causing Hondo to dance back a few steps, and Obi-Wan once again found himself being forcibly picked up from the ground. What was it with adults and handling him like a bag of spices? He kicked his legs, nearly getting Hondo in the shoulder, and felt a faint rush of overwhelming emotion as the man who had adopted him spun them both around. He was over Jango's shoulder, hands pressed to the man's back for support, and he wondered faintly if he was going to throw up. 

"Stop," he whined out. "It isn't-"

"No, you said buir. No take backs!"

"I'm going to lose my breakfast," he flailed his legs again to try and force Jango to set him down. 

"Don't give me that, you would have lost it during that fight if anything," Jango came to a stop, but made no move to set him down. "I set you down and this scoundrel is going to make off with you." 

"I resemble that comment," Hondo said cheerfully. "Now, come, let's share a drink and talk. I have news from the Core." Obi-Wan twisted slightly, trying to look at Hondo and found himself more looking at the back of Jango's head. So they had taken that Padawan to Coruscant then? He opened his mouth to ask after her, but the arm across his back tightened in warning. How had Jango known his train of thought?

"Who let him land?" Maul's voice was full of pure annoyance as it announced his arrival. The older Force user strolled out into the shipyard slowly, clearly unamused with the situation, hardly anything new for Maul- he was always unamused. Obi-Wan could only blink when the Zabrak barely cast a look towards him before stopping to stand next to their buir, and well, technically him as well.

"Is that anyone to greet your friend? Manners! My mother always said manners get you far, good for business! Why I'm starting to think the only person happy to see me is Little Ben," Hondo said with so much mock offense that Obi-Wan couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped him. "See? He laughs! He approves that I am here!"

"A day," Jango finally said. Maul made an unhappy sound, but didn't argue the decision. "Your business needs to be conducted in a day and your crew stays on board. Am I clear?"

Obi-Wan couldn't exactly see it, but he got the feeling Hondo gave a mocking bow to show he agreed. "Buir," he tried again and flinched hard as Maul's head whipped around so he could stare at him. Eyes wide, look of pure surprise that was quickly covered up with annoyance. 

That was strange.

"Figures," Maul finally growled out. Yes, that was a very strange reaction, Obi-Wan mused. He promptly made a face that ended with him yelping as Maul lunged towards him. Jango swore, side stepping out of the way, and finally set him down. He had a moment of feeling light headed at suddenly being righted and found himself leaning against Jango for support, and could only watch as Maul got smacked upside the back of the head for the attack.

"Don't fight when he is on my shoulder, di'kut. I swear, your common sense gets switched off," Jango really didn't sound amused, but the hand on his shoulder let him know buir wasn't exactly angry. Hondo took in the scene in front of him and burst out laughing.

°

The amber liquid wasn't going to drink itself, but Jango wasn't looking to take a sip anytime soon. Somehow he got the impression that the conversation to follow required his full attention and an alcoholic fog would not be wise. He simply swirled the beverage as he waited for Hondo to finally say whatever he was mulling over. His gaze flickered towards the doorway, thoughts on the stack of reports he still had to read, and on Ben'ika's unfinished learning modules. Maul shifted next to him, reaching out for a glass of the brandy, and paused when Jango fixed him with a look. The pros and cons were clearly being weighed before his eldest finally snagged a glass. His lips twitched in mild amusement before he turned his full attention to the pirate.

"You said you had news," he ran his thumb along the outside of his drink and waited for whatever Hondo didn't want to tell them. 

Hondo raised his own drink and downed it one go. Liquid courage most likely, Jango mused. "The Jedi are looking for a stolen youngling. Tried to keep it hush, hush, but you know how people talk. No official bounty has been placed, but I wouldn't be surprised if you have Jedi knocking on your door soon, Mand'alor."

Maul tensed, clearly ready to run, but Jango took the moment to sling his arm across his ad's shoulders. Comforting and keeping him in place. There would be no running from this conversation. "Drink, boy," Jango said softly and Maul did as ordered. His lips twitched with faint amusement when barely a reaction escaped Maul after draining his glass so quickly. "What else do I need to know?"

Hondo grinned, leaning back in his chair, "I don't give all the information away for free. Bad for business." Jango felt annoyance swell up at Hondo's words. Pirates, always so difficult. 

"I stole him, they can't have him back," the words were hot and fast as they ripped out of Maul. Jango tightened his arm around the very tense shoulders and shifted just enough to press the side of his head carefully against the teenager's temple. "Ben is better off with us-"

"Easy, he called me buir. You know I won't give him back," Jango soothed. "Now, tell me what happened." By the time Maul finished recounting things he found himself hardly surprised that Ben'ika kept trying to escape. Jango finally drained his glass before frowning thoughtfully. He held the delicate beverage vessel up to the light as various things clashed in his head. He was Mand'alor, he had to protect his people, but the call for war thrummed through his body. Battle came as naturally to him as breathing, but did he want that for Ben? 

He blinked suddenly and hooked a finger around one of Maul's horns. "His name."

Hondo watched on with pure fascination on his face, not hiding the fact he was enjoying every moment of this conversation. Jango knew he had to be figuring out how this all benefited him and he didn't fault the pirate. 

"Kenobi," voice cracked with emotion, something deep and personal, but Maul somehow managed to keep talking. "Obi-Wan Kenobi is the boy I stole. I had to-" Jango tugged lightly at the horn and his boy shut up instantly. 

"This may present problems in the future, but he is Ben Fett now. The jettise lost claim when they didn't hunt him down right away. We will not be challenged for the right to raise him, am I clear," his gaze shifted to Hondo. The pirate nodded in understanding, getting the message behind the words. The pirates would not sell the boy out for some credits, their loyalty would come at a price, but Jango was fine with that. The smile that grew on his face was dangerous and he leaned forward to pull Hondo's full attention to him. "And now I think we discuss where you set up your base of operations here. Ben'ika would be heartbroken if you had to leave us so soon."

Hondo threw his head back and laughed, a hand slapped down on the table, and Jango knew he had the man. 

"You strike a hard bargain, but yes. Yes, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship," the pirate said with clear amusement. "I assume you will give us jobs now and then? Send us with one of your boys?" Jango gave a simple nod, to which Hondo grinned harder. Gears were turning in that head, which he appreciated, the pirate was thinking this over quickly. Rushing into this blind wasn't smart, even if he wasn't exactly going to give Hondo the chance to say no. That chance had evaporated the moment Maul told his twisted tale. "Well then, I believe we are in business."

Smart pirate.

"I have a request," Maul said softly, so softly, in fact, that Jango almost thought he hadn't heard the words at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look! Some more plot being set up and a...cliffhanger.
> 
> ...my bad.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They needed to be safe. 
> 
> He shifted in his seat as he fixed his gaze on Hondo. Buir was taking a risk by letting him off planet so soon, but he figured the man knew he would return. Ben was, after all, still with Jango. The perfect leverage. They both knew that he would always return to the boy's side, a painful weakness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I ask is you forgive me.
> 
> May this distract you from the dumpster fire that is today!

Their names were Feral and Savage. 

The names went with his so well that he had to wonder if his name had been his all along. He had thought he had forgotten his own name ages ago, ripped from his mind by pain, but had his old Master even actually bothered with something like that? Most likely not. He was Maul, now and always. Each name they had loaned so well to becoming Sith, as if they had been created for the role, and that made an anger simmer under his marked flesh. 

How much of their lives had been planned out to be mere pawns in order to help gain the Nightsisters power? _All of it._

Mother truly was a manipulative witch.

He had worshipped her once. 

He had hated her always.

Their names were Feral and Savage.

He wasn't positive what age they were at this time, but it had to be close to Kenobi's age. All he knew was that they were his, even if they didn't know each other yet. Maul wanted them where he could see them. He wanted them away from Mother and the Nightsisters. He wanted his brothers where he could lock them up tightly with Mandalorians. 

Ben deserved brothers, he deserved brothers. 

They needed to be safe. 

He shifted in his seat as he fixed his gaze on Hondo. Buir was taking a risk by letting him off planet so soon, but he figured the man knew he would return. Ben was, after all, still with Jango. The perfect leverage. They both knew that he would always return to the boy's side, a painful weakness. They had talked until the sun had colored the sky the night they all shared drinks, laid out the perfect plan to go and liberate his brothers. What he really wanted to do was cut down the Nightsisters, grind them under his boot, and stamp out the hypocrites forever. They used the males of the species more than the Sith used weakness. 

He wanted to make Mother bleed.

He wanted to make Mother pay.

"You didn't mention a second stop," Hondo looked up from programming the navigation computer. Maul sneered at him. 

"It escaped my mind. Besides, I said it is a maybe. I don't know if the third brother will be appreciative of being rescued at this point. He is a bit blinded by allusions of power," he said honestly while he dragged his fingers slowly over the arm of the copilot seat. "Did your men secure the first two?" Hondo gave him a look before shaking his head in exasperation. Of course they had. How silly of him. The pirates were good at their job. "And?"

"Reports state they ended up getting far more than they bargained for. Seems quite a few wanted out, but that's business, isn't it? Your buir is going to owe me forever." The pirate smiled at him, a smile that was all teeth and deviousness. Good, the more that escaped Dathomir then the less the Nightsisters had to play with. He had debated cutting them down, but that could wait until Ben was older. His little brother wasn't trained enough, at least not yet, to take part in that type of campaign of vengeance. He was far too unstable with his emotions and if Maul pushed him into that? He was certain the boy would Fall hard and fast. No, no one needed that. 

"Just get us to the med station and then I'll decide if I need the second stop, pirate."

"You wound me! Are we not friends? Call me Uncle Hondo, little Ben says it so nicely. Though, between you and me, I think he does it to rile Jango up. Smart boy, smart boy that one," Hondo went from acting like they were conspirators to laughing gaily. Maul wanted to put a red blade through that shaking chest. Why had Ben latched onto this chaotic creature? A faint sigh of relief escaped him when their ship finally took off and he fell into an uneasy meditation to keep himself centered. Maul found he was a strange tangle of emotions and he rather despised the feeling. Life had been so much each easier when all he did was hate and rage. Now? Now he was stuck worrying about people and figuring out how to best keep the family he was cobbling together in one piece. He found his meditation swirling around that thought like a hungry beast. The more people he dragged in then the more people he had to give a damn about. How had his plan turned into this?

"Maul," Hondo's voice broke through his uncalm with how loud it was. He cracked a golden eye open to glare and found himself doing a double take. They had arrived! Maul surged up out of the seat, shoving the pirate aside, and bolted from the cockpit. Each footfall echoed words in his head. _Feral-Savage-Feral-Savage-mine-mine-mine._ He didn't remember exiting the ship, he didn't remember racing across the hangar, but he did remember stumbling to a stop as two young zabrak turned slowly towards him. Sith spit, they were tiny! The smallest one had to be Feral, the brother they all failed, and the other had to be Savage. The brother he had broken. He had to guess Savage was around fifteen and Feral closer to eleven.

Jango was going to lose his mind. 

They were underfed, poorly clothed, and seemed to be uncomfortable under the artificial lights. Their trepidation saturated the Force, he should have brought Ben. Ben would have been able to charm them and calm them down. His gaze jumped to the medic that was typing something into a datapad.

"Well," the word erupted out of him like a blaster shot. There was no need to elaborate. Either the person in front of him was intelligent or they were going to get spaced. Simple. 

"They are a tad dehydrated, are going to need some vitamin supplements for at least five rotations, but they are healthy enough. Sleep, food, and some loving care will do them wonders," came the response. Ah, intelligence. His brothers were fine. They were here in front of him.

"Then they are cleared to go home," he asked, feeling as if he was teetering on the edge of his own blade. There was still a chance this could somehow slip through his fingers like a mockery of water in the desert. So close and yet so easy to lose. Feral and Savage both tensed at the word home.

"Yes, I am sure your buir would raise a fuss if I held them in quarantine. If I didn't already think they are about to be snapped up, I would have-" Maul snarled, stopping that sentence from continuing. He knew where it was going. Some nameless medic wasn't going to steal his brothers from him! The medic quickly threw their hands up with a laugh. "Easy! I meant no harm. Take your kin and go unleash them on Ben'ika and our Mand'alor." 

He fully planned on doing just that. 

The second stop could be postponed just a little longer. A slight delay wouldn't cause more harm then he could undo, so yes, it could wait just a little longer. Already a plan was forming, a plan where he was going to use Feral and Savage to lure a younger version of himself away from the roaring darkness. His lips curled into a smile as he stared at his new weapons. Yes, oh yes, he would soon have everything he needed to unthrone his once Master and topple the galaxy how he saw fit.

"I think I shall, come brothers, time to go home."

°

Obi-Wan didn’t know what had happened in the room and it frustrated him more and more with each passing day. He couldn't figure out how to find out, he couldn't figure out what they had discussed! Something important had happened, of that he was sure. Buir was keeping his lips sealed, Maul began spending more time with Hondo, and everyone just avoided his questions. If he got patted on the head one more time before being shooed off he was going to kick someone in their unguarded shin. The signature in his mind he associated with his older brother was faint, but not from shield blocking. No, his brother didn’t feel like he was anywhere nearby. Annoyance swirled around his mind as he tried to remind himself that Maul was the whole reason he was in this mess. When he closed his eyes he could see Master Jinn being struck down as the plants around them screamed out in horror. The memory was twisted in a strange way. Every time he remembered Maul running with him it felt like the Force was encouraging the behavior. The fact the Force would want him to be with Maul made absolutely no sense whatsoever. 

Something was wrong in his mind.

“Ben’ika,” the voice startled him and he nearly levitated out of his hiding spot under the table. Soon enough Jango’s face appeared, upside down, and gave him one of _those_ looks. “What are you doing now?” His teeth sank into his lower lip as he tried to turn naive eyes on his buir. Innocence was an effective weapon, but he knew instantly that the tactic didn’t work since he continued to get a very unimpressed look. 

Kriff.

“I was just…” Explaining he had been hoping to eavesdrop on the next meeting surely wouldn’t go over well. He noticed that Jango was just watching him, waiting for him to cobble together whatever weak lie he was working towards. His nose screwed up in annoyance at having been caught so fast by his buir of all people. The man was near impossible to sense when he was wearing his armor like that. (It was by far easier to blame getting caught on the armor than on the fact he hadn't honestly been paying attention while he had been caught up in his tremulous emotions.)

“Lek?” Jango shifted so he could crouch down, his armor creaking faintly as he did, and raised an eyebrow in question. Today's patience had run out. Obi-Wan shifted as well, drawing his knees up to his chest, and let out a sigh that seemed to emanate from the very middle of his slender body. He knew he was thoroughly caught, but he had to figure out just how much of the truth he wanted to tell. The best way to lie, he was learning, was to sprinkle in just enough of the truth so the other didn’t question too much. He could tell Jango wanted to pry immediate answers out of him, but the man was set on playing the long waiting game. He tried not to flinch as the Mand’alor finally reached out and dragged him out from under the table. His arms shot to wrap around his buir’s neck just as he found himself being picked up. Jango seemed to take an unnatural delight in picking him up randomly. There was something comforting and annoying about being carried like some youngling, but he couldn't drum up the words to tell the man to put him down. He still secretly thought Jango did this as a way to make sure he wasn't about to run off again.

“I can’t feel Maul,” he finally said softly. That was the truth, but not the reason he was under the table. A faint tsk escaped Jango, but no further acknowledgement of his answer followed. Something was going on and no one was telling him anything, which was why he had tried to eavesdrop. He had the childish thought that the whole thing was unfair. He hadn't tried to escape at all for the past week which meant, in his mind, that they should be trusting him enough to tell him things. 

“Lor,” Myles motioned to the room around them. “A meeting starts soon. Your councilors will-”

“They can wait a little longer. Ben’ika, I think you and I need to go work on one of your modules.” Obi-Wan knew that meant his attempts at espionage were officially over for the day. At least that was what he expected to happen before Jango's comm trilled loudly. "Perfect timing, vod, cancel everything for today."

°

The trip home had been awful, if he was being honest. Savage had practically ripped his throat out when he got too close to Feral and Hondo had laughed. Maul had finally decided it wise to let his brothers hide in the cargo hold while he did his best to be a storm cloud in zabrak form. He had slouched on the copilot's seat, feet up on the dash, and glared everytime Hondo so much looked like he wanted to say something. Returning home hadn't come fast enough, something that was painfully obvious by how Hondo actually left the ship first. 

"March," he growled at his brothers. Clear annoyance seeped into his words and Savage growled right back at him. "Oh for- just get moving. I'm not going to hurt you, you idiot." Their reunion was off to a great start. It was actually Feral who moved first, leaning around Savage to glance towards the open hatch. The older zabrak tried to hold the smaller one, but Feral was a slippery little thing. He evaded the grasp and tumbled out onto the cargo hold floor. Maul took a quick step back in surprise. What was going on? He barely managed to get out of the way as his littlest brother bolted. 

That wasn't good.

Maul took off after him like his life depended on catching the brat, Savage hot on his heels, and began to curse how this whole thing was going down. He shouldn't have been surprised when they all made it out into the shipyard that buir and Ben were walking towards them. No, he shouldn't have been surprised at all. What really did surprise him though was Feral tripping, going down hard and getting a face full of dirt. Everyone tensed, either awaiting tears or something, and then Kenobi was yanking his arm free of Jango's grip. Savage tried to lunge forward, but Maul slammed his arm out to restrain the idiot. There was no way he was about to let all of his brothers get into a fight before everything was explained.

"He's fine," he promised the angry teenager next to him.

Oh, how he would eat those words in a moment.

Ben sank down next to Feral, reaching out to help him up, and then the Force seemed to spasm. A yellow and black hand twisted in the front of the other's pale blue shirt and the two just stared at each other. Maul could only stare as the Force decided to make his life even more difficult. Of course, _of course_ , his little brother would also be Force sensitive! He had never actually felt a bond slam into place before, but the violence of which it formed between the two had him seeing double. Feral, unknowingly, had reached towards the source of warmth and had tried to pull it towards him. Feral, untrained and scared, had just stolen Ben.

Maul gasped.

Savage swore.

Jango looked confused.

And that was when Obi-Wan started screaming and Feral screamed right back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a long time to write thanks to stress, stress, and more stress. 
> 
> I love you all, I swear, even if I keep using cliffhangers.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Stop, it’s fine! It’s fine, Ben’ika. Be here with me,” buir’s voice crashed into his mind. He stilled instantly and was hardly surprised when Feral also did the same. Obi-Wan twisted in the arms, flinging his own around Jango’s neck, and tried to control the tremors that wracked his body. “Shh, I am here. I’ve got you.”
> 
> “Unbelievable,” Maul grumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not forget this story!!! I've just had a really stressful week and needed to write a bunch of crack before I could focus on this angst. That said, I hope you enjoy this chapter. This space murder family is one of my favorites and I love that so many of you love them as well.

There wasn’t snow this time, but he knew he had tripped right into a vision. 

People weren’t clashing hard against each, they weren’t dying, but the air was still saturated with so much pain. He could almost taste the feeling on his tongue. This time the area was flush with flora, a startling change from the last time. Large, dangerous-looking plants threatened to swallow him whole. They twisted, they shuddered, they were adorned with vicious thorns like daggers. A boy could lose a limb to one of those barbs.

This was a place that wanted blood instead of water.

He wanted out.

“What,” the strange boy- no Feral, his mind whispered, stumbled back a step. Obi-Wan turned quickly, grabbing his hands before he could vanish into the dangerous jungle. Their fingers laced together as he tried to be the catalyst of calm for them both. That was an oddly painful feat since he felt far from calm. He felt fear trying to claw at his mind.

Why was someone else in the vision with him?

“It’s fine,” he tried to reassure the new presence in his mind. “You can’t feel the heat, right? The ground under your feet?”

“I can't-”

“A vision then. This is just a vision.”

Crimson crackled. Someone was screaming, but Obi-Wan could only clutch Feral's hands hard with his own. Knuckles white from the pressure of which he held on. The two stared with matching expressions of fear as the blade dropped towards their joined hands. His mind was yelling, trying to understand why those golden eyes were focused on him. The fact Feral was flooding his head with incoherent words didn't help. He wanted to protect, he wanted to run, he wanted to punch Maul. 

He wanted to understand what the Force was trying to show him. Who was he supposed to save here? 

"Why," the word tumbled from his lips. "I thought we were brothers!"

"I don't know who you are and you'll die before I learn your name."

_Save me._

_Don’t forget me!_

_WHY DID NO ONE SAVE ME?_

_Why didn’t they notice? Was I not good enough?_

The words shot through his mind and he knew it was a younger Maul screaming in anger and fear. His brother was terrified and oh so furious. Darkness was working hard to strangle any bit of light left inside the person standing in front of him.

There was a faint second where the violent gold seemed to temper to a duller color.

Then the red blade nearly kissed his fingers and suddenly both boys were ripped violently back to the shipyard. Feral was crying. 

Obi-Wan screamed as arms wrapped around his waist like those deadly vines, pulling him away from Feral, and Feral matched his scream with one of his own. No, no, he couldn’t be separated from him! He needed to protect him! 

“Stop, it’s fine! It’s fine, Ben’ika. Be here with me,” buir’s voice crashed into his mind. He stilled instantly and was hardly surprised when Feral also did the same. Obi-Wan twisted in the protecting arms, flinging his own around Jango’s neck, and tried to control the tremors that wracked his body. “Shh, I am here. I’ve got you.”

“Unbelievable,” Maul grumbled. The mere sound of that voice, the one that had threatened to kill him, had him burying his face in his buir’s neck. A moment later a body was slamming into his back and Jango was having to adjust his arms to accommodate the small zabrak as well. Horns poked painfully at his shoulder blades, but he didn’t complain. He just shoved comfort and warmth across the raw bond. 

Feral clung harder.

“What- why were they screaming? What did you do,” Savage snapped as he took a step towards Maul, clearly deciding their oldest brother was to blame. Feral’s arms tightened around Obi-Wan as the feeling of anger permeated the area. He tried to pull shields around them both and fumbled hard as everyone kept talking. This was frustrating and he was going to have to meditate later to recenter himself.

“Because, brother,” disdain dripped from Maul’s words. “Our youngest brother decided he wanted to steal what was mine. Feral has bonded with Ben and it isn’t something I can exactly undo. When one fell into a kriffing vision, the other tumbled right after. Just my luck.”

“This seems like a family matter,” Hondo interrupted softly. “I am just going to go see about- the thing. Yes, that thing. Little Ben, find me when you are feeling better. I have a stash of those cakes you like.” And with that, the pirate beat a quick retreat, not that Obi-Wan blamed him. He, too, wanted to leave.

“Maul tried to kill us,” he whispered. “Except he wasn’t right. He felt different-”

“It wasn’t me,” Maul snarled. 

“It was! And we need to save him,” Obi-Wan argued hotly against his buir’s neck. He could feel the annoyance radiating from his elder brother, but he didn’t dare look up at him. He didn’t want to see molten eyes laced with spite glaring at him. “He was breaking.”

The sound of anger that left Maul had Obi-Wan tightening his arms painfully around his buir.

Jango whistled between pressed lips and the sound had everyone flinching. It was high-pitched and hurt his ears. Silence filled the shipyard as everyone stilled, their attention on the Mand’alor. “Enough, Ben’ika, you and your new vod are going to take a nap and I will talk with Maul and Savage, am I clear? Now, are you two able to walk or am I going to have to carry one of you under each arm like bundles of beskar'gam?” The tiniest giggle escaped Feral as both he and Obi-Wan had the mental image of them being carried like sacks of spice flit through their bond. That was actually kind of tempting.

°

They were sleeping, hands joined, facing each other. Ben’s head was just a bit below Feral’s so that the zabrak’s chin rested on messy red hair. Their knees were touching as they curled in towards each other, and Jango couldn’t help thinking he was never going to be able to separate the two now. They had laid down in his bed and promptly passed out. He frowned as he yanked a blanket up over them in an attempt to keep them comfortable. He was going to have to redo the sorting of the sleeping arrangements now because he was positive Feral would claw his eyes out if he tried to put him in a room that wasn’t with Ben. He also didn’t think Savage was going to be pleased not sleeping in the same room as Feral, but Maul was going to want his own space.

He was getting a headache just thinking about the arguments to come.

Maul hovered at his elbow, clearly annoyed and distressed. Savage shadowed him like an angry cloud.

“You have an awful lot of explaining to do, ad’ika,” he said softly before moving to tuck the blanket in around the boys. They didn’t stir beyond tightening their grip on each other.

“I didn’t think-” The words died on Maul’s lips as Jango shot him a look over his shoulder. He pointed at the door and motioned for everyone to leave the room. Ben and Feral needed sleep after whatever the kriff had just happened in the shipyard. He was not going to have a conversation that would most likely get heated where it could pull them from the realm of rest. All three of them were silent as they moved towards his office. His lips turned down into a frown as he watched the way Savage seemed to twitch at every little noise. Muscles were coiled under marked skin, ready to spring into action. Clear displeasure at leaving Feral behind was written all over the teenager and it only eased slightly when he realized the office was not that far from the room the ade were left in. 

Savage was ready for something awful to happen and Jango hated that. What had happened on Dathomir to make him act like that?

“Maul,” Jango said as he moved further into the room. “You’ve managed to rescue your brothers with all the grace of a rampaging gundark.” 

“That is hardly-” 

“What is going on,” Savage blurted out. The words cracked hard against his ears and Jango couldn’t help shooting Maul a very displeased look. 

“Your vod,” Jango drawled out with clear ire as he sank down into his chair. Within seconds he was slouching, rubbing at a temple with a hand while he wondered when he could have a nap. Curling up around Feral and Ben sounded perfect right about now. “Plead your case. Requested I bring you home, which I have no problem with, but what I take offense at is the fact he failed to explain anything. How do you expect to follow in my footsteps if you can’t even think to debrief your own vod’e?” 

Maul bristled, lips pulling back from his teeth in a snarl, and threw himself into a vacant chair rather like a child in the thralls of a tantrum would. Jango merely mimicked the facial expression right back at him. Savage seemed undecided on whether or not he wanted to sit down. His gaze kept jumping towards the doorway. His concern was clearly focused solely on Feral, not that Jango blamed him. Watching the two adiik’e scream with matching looks of vacant terror on their faces was going to be seared into his brain for a long time to come. He had known Ben was a seer, but to actually witness him caught in the pull of a vision? That was a far different matter than knowing. 

“Sit down,” he finally said softly. Savage cast him a look before moving to do as asked. He sat on the edge of the chair, almost as if he was ready to spring up and run at a second’s notice. Jango took in the state of his clothes and frowned deeply. He was going to have to dump him and his little vod at the quartermaster's and not let them out until they had plenty of new clothes. “I’m Jango, your buir-” His brows furrowed as he realized he had never said the adoption vow due to the fact he had been a bit preoccupied with the waking nightmare in the shipyard. 

“Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad. I name you Savage Fett, of Clan Mereel.” Something eased in his chest once he made the adoption official, even if Savage looked bewildered. “You are family now. You will come to no harm while in these walls. You are safe.” Savage’s gaze darted towards Maul as if looking for some sort of explanation. Maul merely shrugged like the little shit he was and Jango snorted with mild amusement before tapping his knuckles on his desk to draw their attention back to him. 

“Maul, explain the vision,” he ordered. 

“Ben and Feral most likely saw our other brother. He was given to the Sith by Mother,” the words left the boy’s mouth like venom. Savage shrank in on himself at the word Mother and Jango frowned deeply. “He was young, smaller than Feral when the Nightsisters used him as a pawn to gain themselves more power. He is...getting lost in the call of the Dark side, buir. I want to free him, but I wanted to get my brothers settled… I wasn’t expecting Feral to basically become a kriffing Force dyad with Ben. I didn’t even know the runt had powers-”

Savage blinked and then punched Maul hard in the shoulder. He had clearly not liked Maul insulting their little brother. Good, Jango hoped that hit bruised. He had to hide his mouth behind a hand as he watched Maul retaliate by taking a swing at him. Such violent children he had. “Enough,” he barked out when he was positive amusement wouldn’t coat his words. “Behave. What do I need to do for the two?”

Maul shot one nasty look at Savage before turning his attention back to his buir. “I can train them as best I can, but...I am not as knowledgeable about dyads as the jettise.” Jango was already shaking his head, shooting down any idea involving those mystical nuisances. “Mandalore had a history in the past with the Force. I can...research.” The way Maul said the word research gave Jango the impression he’d rather sort through decomposing garbage than subject himself to reading datapads. 

“We figure out how to save the last brother and I’ll have Hondo start trying to gather information on this dyad nonsense,” Jango said after a moment of contemplation. “In the meantime, take Savage to get clean. Food, clothes, rest. I expect all of you to show up for latemeal with me later. Dismissed.” 

Maul stood up first and practically dragged his younger brother up out of his seat. Savage still looked confused and Jango couldn’t fight the sigh that escaped him. He held a hand up for them to wait and was hardly surprised when they both obeyed. Rather, Maul obeyed and held Savage there as well. He pushed himself up out of his chair and walked around the desk that had separated them. “Come here,” he said softly and Maul was at his side in an instant, dragging Savage with him. Jango raised his hands and tangled his fingers in horns on each head. 

“Listen to me,” he murmured as he shifted to press his forehead to Maul’s and then to Savage’s in turn. “We will destroy darjetii and no one will ever use any of you again. You have my word.” He could still feel the tension coming from his second eldest. “Maul, I think you would be wise to show Savage the training salle after you get him sorted for food and clothing. I will watch over Ben and Feral.” 

“Lek, buir,” Maul murmured before moving to grab Savage’s hand gently. The look the two boys shared was less hostile and Jango could breathe just a little easier. He watched as they left and frowned deeply as he wondered just how many wars he was going to fight for his ade. 

Myles was going to laugh in his face later, he just knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the encouraging comments here and tumblr. I love you all and hope you are staying safe and healthy.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He had thought his eldest would go storm off to his own room and not return, but the teenager proved him wrong. Maul returned with blankets and a pillow and promptly made himself a bed on the floor.
> 
> Aliit stuck together, even if one of them was clearly displeased about having to sleep on the floor. The bed wouldn’t have exactly held all of the vod’e and Maul had arrived last. Jango thought it was a small miracle that everyone settled down so calmly, actually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! Thank you for making it into a new one with me~! 
> 
> I suffered some writer's block when it came to this story, but seeing people enjoying this story helped me get my groove back. This chaotic murder space family is my favorite and I am so glad others also love them.

He was exhausted as he had never been before. He felt the feeling in his very soul.

The exhaustion, he decided, came from worrying about how to make his ade comfortable. The scene in the shipyard still lived in his mind. Ben’s many escape attempts reminded him how much he was failing at being a buir. How was he going to convince all these tiny warriors that they belonged with him? He realized he had been just as bad when Jaster had first adopted him and a faint feeling of guilt danced across his mind. 

Jaster had been a saint for putting up with him.

With everything handled that needed to be handled for the day he finally retired to his room to get some rest. The boys barely stirred. It appeared they were suffering from a far greater exhaustion and he didn’t want to disturb them. They needed sleep. His worries were forcibly put on hold while he focused on making sure Feral and Ben didn't wake. They looked so peaceful and so painfully small. Those two held great power, another issue to add to his growing list. He moved as silently as he could while getting ready for the act of going to bed. 

Jango lost his bed for the night and he didn’t exactly care. He was still young enough that passing out in the chair in his room wouldn’t put a major strain on his back. He’d bounce back. Feral and Ben had woken up briefly when he bumped his nightstand, looking dazed, and he was promptly there to chase any nightmares away. At some point, while he was getting ready, Savage had ended up on the bed as well. Maul had taken a look at the scene and merely pulled his lips back from his teeth as he glared. He had thought his eldest would go storm off to his own room and not return, but the teenager proved him wrong. Maul returned with blankets and a pillow and promptly made himself a bed on the floor.

Aliit stuck together, even if one of them was clearly displeased about having to sleep on the floor. The bed wouldn’t have exactly held all of the vod’e and Maul had arrived last. Jango thought it was a small miracle that everyone settled down so calmly, actually. It was, perhaps, the calmest night he had enjoyed since adopting Ben and his vod’e. There were no escape attempts, no shouting matches, just faint grumbles as someone shifted in the bed and accidentally elbowed someone else. 

His back wasn’t enjoying the way he was lounging in the chair, but for some reason, he felt content. The early doubts about being a buir simmered in the back of his mind before finally dissipating like fog.

He could do this. 

Jaster would have loved this. 

Jango propped his chin upon the palm of his hand as he watched his boys sleep. His late buir would have been in his element, helping raise them all. Jaster would have known what texts to read, where to look for more information. His old man had been a real scholar for fun, something Jango had never really gotten into, and now, he regretted that slightly. He should have listened more when his buir had talked excitedly about some new myth he uncovered. Jaster would have known exactly what to do in regards to Ben and Feral or at least known who to ask.

He shifted slightly in his seat, trying to dispel the faint feeling of grief he felt when he thought about his buir. He missed him.

Now he had Myles and, unfortunately, Hondo to help him raise them all. Soon, hopefully, they would rescue the last brother and then he knew he would go from slightly overwhelmed to in over his head. He couldn’t take a step back from his duties, but he could perhaps adapt them. He needed to talk to Myles in the morning, see about setting aside a block of the day where he could help teach them how the government ran. Should he reach out to some of his officials as well? More exposure to various views would help them all form their own. What lesson plans needed to be drafted up for all of them? 

They were also clearly going to need to reevaluate the food served for meals until all the ade were adapted to his preferred level of spiciness. The idea of going into the kitchens and asking for blander food gave him pause. What did Zabrak normally eat? Maul had just eaten whatever was placed in front of him and now he didn’t know if that was normal. What if he accidentally poisoned his ade? Kriff, that would be awful.

“Buir,” a gravelly voice said softly. He blinked and glanced down at Maul. His eldest was staring up at him from the floor, eyes glowing faintly in the dark. “Give me the chair.”

His lips curled up faintly in a smile. There was still so much anger under the surface of that red and black painted skin, but the boy had calmed down a bit. Jango saw the way he still jumped at foreign noises or stepped between his vod’e and open doorways, but it seemed Maul was finally settling into having a family.

“I’m fine, Maul’ika,” he whispered back. “I can survive one night sleeping here. Go to sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow.” A faint growl escaped the floor and then the brat was turning over rather dramatically, blankets yanked over his head. Jango bit back a laugh. What a little shit. 

They would rescue the last vod and then focus on shoring up the foundations of their family. He knew Hondo and Maul would both look into the dyad matter, but he had a feeling they were going to need to find a jetii. That left a sour taste in his mouth. They had destroyed the scouting party that had been meant to destroy them and he doubted they would be forgiven so easily. Had it been self-defense? Technically. Did he regret it? No. He had done what he needed to do in order to ensure his people stayed alive. Now came the tricky part of figuring out whether or not he wanted to make apologies. 

Ben and Feral needed guidance. 

He let out a long breath through his nose as he found himself stuck on thinking about jettise. Kark. Mandalore and the jettise historically did not get along. Mandalore of the past had a habit of siding with something called the Sith Empire, which was clearly trying to make a comeback, and he had no desire to follow that path. He had, perhaps, made it seem like he was by not stopping the verd'e from slaughtering the jettise on Galidraan. Myles had reported the Governor there had confessed everything and now a hunt was on to capture Death Watch. 

Jango needed to unify his people, but he also needed to make sure his small family didn’t accidentally set the whole sector ablaze. 

This was not going to be an easy feat on any front. Well, luckily, he was Mandalorian through and through and would face any challenge thrown his way. 

He’d worry more in the morning.

°

His dreams were a strange mixture of Coruscant and a planet he didn’t recognize. Burnished crimson rock erupted in various parts of the Temple. The changes vanished from his mind the moment a hand twisted in the front of his shirt. Obi-Wan cracked his eyes open just enough to stare at Feral through his lashes. Feral was staring back at him, silent. 

“Morning,” he mouthed. His new Force twin grinned sheepishly before tugging on the shirt.

 _Cold._ The word echoed in his mind. Oh! Obi-Wan shifted in the bed, foot catching Savage in the back of the knee, and he managed to grab the edge of the blanket that was trying to slip towards the ground. He yanked the blanket up and over them all. A faint grunt escaped Savage, but Feral curled up against him, latching on with a near-death grip. 

He was, personally, overheating, but he could put up with the sensation a tad longer if that meant those around him were comfortable. He barely knew Feral and Savage, but he knew they were family. 

Family was important. 

“Better?” A jerky nod and horns rubbed into his shoulder. He cast his senses outwards, ready to yank them back, and found himself blinking in surprise. Sitting up was not an option with the way Feral was clinging to him, but he was curious just how Maul and buir were sleeping since the bed was full. 

“Go back to sleep,” Jango’s voice danced past his ears. How had he known he was awake? A foot kicked the edge of the bed and he bit back a smile. “Myles will get us for breakfast in a bit.” 

“Lek,” he mumbled before shifting just enough to get himself comfortable. Savage let out a word he didn’t know and then suddenly a strong arm was going across him and Feral. 

“You are all annoying,” Maul snapped. Silence and then an outbreak of snickers filled the room. 

Eventually, Myles did come and gather them up. Obi-Wan was hardly surprised when Feral trailed after him to his room. They looked about the same size and he was more than willing to share some of his clothing. Getting ready didn’t take long, which meant they got to the breakfast table just as Myles and Jango were talking about something rather serious.

“I heard they tried to mine the planet itself,” Myles was saying loudly. “The whole rig blew up, Jango. Some of the verd’e want to go after the Offworld Mining Corporation. Heddurk has started looking into their records and they basically slap a pretty ribbon on slavery and call it something-” Words died off when both of the adults noticed them standing in the doorway.

“Ben’ika,” Jango said while motioning with a hand. An order and a request in one. Obi-Wan walked across the room towards the man who had adopted him while trying to sort out what he wanted. He stopped just in front of his buir, tipping his head back to look at the warrior. “No training sessions today, lek?”

“Lek...but why?” A second later Feral was crashing into his back. Oh, that was why. He glanced over his shoulder at his new brother and raised an eyebrow. [It is fine,] he thought across their growing bond. [I am not going to leave you.] Tiny arms encircled his waist. He glanced back up at Jango and found himself staring at the emotion etched into that face. Pride, sadness, fondness. 

“A rest day, I have to discuss something with Hondo. I assume you want to see that crazy pirate?” Myles snorted with clear disdain. Hondo was clearly not everyone’s favorite. Jango shot his second in command a bemused look before reaching out to ruffle Obi-Wan’s hair. He didn’t ruffle Feral’s horns but did gently hook his fingers around some while kneeling down. “Feral can come as well. Now, both of you, sit down. Your vod’e will be here soon.” He was right. Maul and Savage arrived not long after and they all fell into a sort of silence while eating. Obi-Wan’s mind was focused on the fact there was something that had to be discussed with Uncle Hondo. Was it about the Maul from his vision? Was it regarding that mining corporation? That hadn’t sounded good. He wasn’t sure why, but Myles’ words had made him feel like he had felt the blast of an explosion. 

The Force had cried out a mere second and then nothing. 

Where had the explosion happened? 

He spun his spork against his plate while he mused. It was possible he merely felt a faint sense of guilt because there was nothing he could do to change how places like the Offworld Mining Corporation did business. Though, an idea struck him. Could he convince Uncle Hondo and his crew to make life hard for corps like that? It was hard to run an operation if one’s labor force simply vanished. He could probably convince buir to help as well. 

“Obi,” Feral whispered. He blinked and glanced at the young Zabrak. His head tilted faintly to the side as he waited for more words. “Why do we like Hondo?” A brilliant smile appeared on his face as he worked at sharing his memories of Hondo with Feral while everyone else continued to eat breakfast.

°

A spork slammed into the bantha steak on Feral’s plate and that was when everything seemed to explode at once. Jango just focused on draining his mug of the shig as his terror ade started screaming at each other. Myles was frozen, spork halfway to his mouth, as he watched the scene unfold. 

“That was mine,” Feral wailed. 

“You just said you were full,” Maul snapped. 

Savage growled as he hurled his spork at Maul, but at the last second it veered off to the side. Ben’ika’s hand was raised and he looked annoyed. Breakfast was quickly devolving into utter chaos. He shot a look at Myles, the message clear. Not a word. He didn’t want to hear how he was in over his head. 

They were simply working out kinks.

“I’m trying to eat,” Ben started to say in a clear annoyed tone and Jango had a feeling he wasn’t going to like where this was going. “Feral can simply share my breakfast with me.” Nope, not happening. They all needed their own meals to help put some meat on their too slender limbs. They would also need the extra energy a well-balanced diet gave them when the real training started. He slammed his mug down and let out a sharp whistle. Everyone froze. 

“Enough. Maul, leave Feral alone. Ben, you are finishing your whole meal. Savage, stop that.” 

Jango was going to have to increase their time in the training yard to burn off some of that impressive energy. It figured the day he was giving them all rest was the day that they all worked extra hard at giving him a headache. Myles popped his sporkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth and Jango thought he heard a faint snicker. Oh, yes, he was going to force Myles to babysit soon. That would teach his friend to laugh. Choruses of agreement escaped the ade before everyone went back to their meal. 

It all seemed to be going well or at least seemed to be right until Ben and Feral shared a look. Oh, no, that wasn’t good. Jango opened his mouth to tell them to stop, but the plate in front of Maul heaved upwards violently and smacked his heir right in the face. 

Kark.

Jettise osik.

“Everyone,” he barked. “You’ve earned yourself dish duty. A stint in the kitchens ought to teach you to behave!” 

His trip to see Hondo would have to be delayed slightly. 

“Now, Alor, surely,” Myles said with a smug look, “there is no need to punish them like that?”

“For that, di’kut, you can help them.”

Snickers escaped his ade and Myles looked utterly betrayed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jango is a tired space dad who realizes now that his children are a real handful. 
> 
> Myles is suddenly realizing that he is going to get roped into helping control the terror children.

**Author's Note:**

> Welp. HERE WE ARE.  
> If you want to stalk me on tumblr, please do! I like it when people stop by and say hi.  
> https://ironhoshi.tumblr.com/


End file.
